


The Path of Seven

by lesbonaruto



Series: Pathways (Sakura Haruno) [1]
Category: Naruto
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Anxiety, BAMF Haruno Sakura, BAMF Hyuuga Hinata, BAMF Women, BAMF Yamanaka Ino, Body Horror, Dai-nana-han | Team 7 (Naruto)-centric, Female Friendship, Haruno Sakura Deserves Better, Haruno Sakura-centric, Hatake Kakashi is a Bad Teacher, Hatake Kakashi is a Good Teacher, Human Experimentation, It's gonna get gay, Mild Gore, Multi, Panic Attacks, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Strong Female Characters, Team Bonding, Team as Family, Women Being Awesome, bamf sakura haruno, featuring a 2 to 1 ratio of girls to boys for once!, giving all the female characters in naruto the development they deserve, it's both you guys, just another lesbian writing naruto fanfiction let's go guys, kids being kids, let women be friends with each other good god, like seriously kishimoto wtf, naruto/friends, no beta we die like men, sakura gets a girlfriend, sakura/ being a bad bitch, sasuke/therapy
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-08-20
Updated: 2020-01-15
Packaged: 2020-09-19 10:22:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 10
Words: 37,261
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20329567
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lesbonaruto/pseuds/lesbonaruto
Summary: Sakura got promoted to chunin during the invasion, and Kakashi was scared of losing any more kids. So while Naruto goes off to train with the toad sage, and Sasuke hides in the den of the snake, Team Seven gets some new recruits. A young kunoichi from the Sound defects to Konoha, but nobody takes her in. Except Kakashi and Sakura, because if Team Seven turned away people who were mistrusted they wouldn’t have any members. A mysterious ANBU with a seal on his tongue soon follows. His artistry is appreciated, his tactless sass is not. Finally, with the return of the jinchuriki comes another ANBU, this one with enough power to control the Kyuubi and a good head on his shoulders. Team Seven grows bigger by the day.__________In which Team Seven gets a makeover, new and old members alike come together to raise each other up.





	1. The First Phase

**Author's Note:**

> ok, so this is my first fic! ever! and it's a goddamn naruto fanfic good lord. but yeah i haven't got anyone to beta this yet, although if anyone would like to volunteer i will love you forever!! until then; no beta. we die like men. 
> 
> basically we're gonna start out going back a little, introducing some characters and setting up some plot points, but I swear, the canon divergence will happen soon! I just need to set things up in the story a little. for now, hang in there and enjoy the chuunin exams for the 100th time! if you're like me, and you're a fan of long sagas where sakura goes through personal growth, then this is the fic for you! i got this whole damn thing mapped out, we rewriting naruto out here. if you don't like that and came here b/c of the description, sorry to let you down but you'll be here for a while. grab a drink, and enjoy yourself!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> the exam begins, and sakura wonders if she deserves to take it

Kakashi had once again failed Team Seven by entering them into the Chunin Exams. 

They were nowhere near ready. Kakashi knew that, The Third knew that, every other damn jounin instructor to a group of rookies knew that. And although Naruto and Sasuke would never admit to it, Sakura sure as hell knew that. She was already behind the boys in ninjutsu and taijutsu, not to mention her lack of training. _If only Kakashi would actually pay attention to me,_ Inner growled._ I like to learn! I like being the teacher’s pet! If only he would actually take me seriously instead of giving all his time to Sasuke._ Even Naruto also received the short end of the stick, and so they stuck together in solidarity. Naruto and Sakura, Kakashi’s _ other _ students. 

But she knew, despite the lack of attention from their teacher, Naruto would jump at any opportunity he had to prove himself. And Sasuke was exactly the same, always jumping at the chance to be challenged. So it was up to Sakura. 

Kakashi had told them it was an individual choice, but Sakura knew bullshit when she heard it. Genin are always in a unit, the last exams they had to pass reinforced their teamwork. What kind of exam would the Chunin take which didn’t also test their teamwork? It was a value central to Konoha’s teachings, teamwork and camaraderie. There was no way they would let these exams happen individually. So it was up to her, Sakura’s decision. If she quit, deciding not to take the exams, it would be the more proper thing to do. Her own incompetence was a serious threat to her teams’ lives! If they couldn’t count on her, they would be in danger! The smart thing to do would be to sit this one out. 

But oh, Sakura wanted badly to prove herself as well. She wanted to turn into a teammate the boys could rely on, and a kunoichi to rival Ino! And she couldn’t bring herself to let down her team like that, she knew how badly Naruto and Sasuke wanted this opportunity. And she wanted them to be able to chase their dreams, with her by their side. 

_So that settles it_, Inner exclaimed. _This Chunin Exams will give me the chance I need to prove myself! I will stand side by side with my boys, and become someone they can count on!_

_________________

She showed up in front of the exam grounds the next day to turn in her form. The boys were waiting for her signed forms in hand. She was a little nervous, but still determined to pull this off. _Channaro_! Inner cried. 

“Hey, Sakura-chan, are you okay?” Naruto’s question was paired with a nudge as they ascended the steps to the exam building. “You seem kinda… quiet.”

“Yeah, I’m fine, Naruto! Just… excited!” She said with a weak smile. 

“I’ll protect you, Sakura-chan, no matter what happens! You better believe it!” Naruto said as he scampered up the rest of the stairs, and then turned to face her with a wide grin. “We’re gonna make it through these Chunin Exams together!” 

She smiled. Naruto always had a way of making her feel better with his incessant optimism. “But,” she said to herself, “this time, I’ll be the one protecting you, Naruto.”

The team of three made their way to the stairwell, heading towards the third floor. When they reached their destination, Sakura noticed something was off. They had only ascended two flights of stairs, yet the sign told them they were on the third floor. Was she misremembering? Or was there something else going on? She scouted the floor they were on and saw a crowd in front of a door labelled “Exams”. She must have been miscounting… unless…?

“None of you are getting by us! Only those worthy enough can take the Chunin Exams!” The larger man of the two yelled out amongst the crowd. He kicked a boy with bushy eyebrows and a bowl cut to the ground. “None of you are worthy of passing!”

Sasuke made his way to the front of the crowd. “Excuse me, I need to get through. I’ll be heading to the third floor now.” The rest of the crowd took a step back, and started muttering to themselves in confusion. So she had been right! 

“You noticed it, didn’t you Sakura? Your analytical skills are the best on the team.”

She smiled, filled to the brim with confidence, “That’s right! This isn’t actually the Third Floor, it’s the Second Floor! There was a _ genjutsu _ placed on the sign to make it look like this was our destination, but it was really a trick.” She finished proudly, and put her hands on her hips. 

At that moment, a whirlwind of dark hair and green spandex appeared in front of her. “What is your name, fair lady, for your intellect shines so bright it has won over my heart! Your beauty is like the rising sun in the springtime of youth! I will protect you ‘till the day I die!”

Alright, it was cute coming from Naruto, but she was really having enough of people saying they’ll protect her. Didn’t they realize she needed to become capable of protecting herself? What good is a knight in shining armor? _I don’t want to be the damsel in distress_, Inner yelled, _I want to be the knight! I want to be powerful and strong and protect the people I love. _

What came out was “Uh, no. Gross.” Not the most poignant message, but at least it would get the job done. Sakura was done being protected by men. 

The boy in front of her wilted, but then brightened up again. He seemed to have recovered from his time spent getting beaten around by those Chunin guards. “Fear not, my lady, for I shall one day become strong enough that I will win your heart!” Naruto then started picking a fight with him, something about not letting him steal his “precious Sakura-chan.” She watched the two boys posture for a minute, before boxing both their ears and dragging Naruto and Sasuke off to the second floor. 

“What is with men thinking they have the right to my heart?” She muttered angrily. To the boys she just said “Let’s go!”

They passed into the corridor leading to the stairwell only to find that bushy-brows had followed them from the fake exam room. He stood on top of a banister, and pointed to Sasuke. 

“I am Rock Lee, and I challenge you, Sasuke Uchiha, to a duel!” 

Sasuke just rolled his eyes. 

“What is it with everyone obsessing over Sasuke,” Naruto yelled, charging at Rock Lee head on. “I’ll beat you myself!” 

Lee sent him flying with a kick so fast it looked like a blur. He crashed into the opposite wall. Turns out he wasn’t all bark and no bite. Sasuke seemed to realize the same thing, when he said “He really _ is _ strong.” with a grin. Then he slowly cracked his knuckles. 

“You wanna fight? Let’s fight.”

“But Sasuke,” Sakura protested, “We only have thirty more minutes to make it to the exam room. We don’t have time to waste like this!” 

“I’ll be done in five minutes.”

Needless to say, Sasuke got his ass thoroughly beat. Rock Lee’s speed was inhuman, he seemed to be coming from every direction and his attacks were so fast they were almost impossible to block. He was relentless and seemed to never tire, and Sasuke was out of his depth. He only ceased his Beatdown when a giant turtle showed up, demanding that he restrict his own moves.

“Lee, I warned you not to use That Technique unless Absolutely Necessary!” The turtle shouted in a too-loud voice.

“Sorry, sensei!” Lee replied with a too-low bow. 

Sasuke was looking mortified and Naruto was busy laughing at him in the corner, so Sakura made it her responsibility to round up the boys. Then to her surprise, the turtle materialized a man wearing bright green spandex and standing on its back. 

“How Youthful!” he cried, and there were actual tears coming from his eyes, “to see my Student challenging others so. May you Blossom in the Springtime of Youth!”

Team Seven just looked at him in confusion. 

“And how is your Sensei doing? It’s been a while since Kakashi and I went at it! The strange man continued. 

“How do you know Kakashi?” Sasuke growled, thoroughly embarrassed and more than a little angry. “And why should we tell you anything?”

One moment the green beast was in front of them by several meters, standing on the back of a turtle and patting his student’s head, and the next he was behind them, putting a hand on their shoulders. I didn’t even see him move! Inner exclaimed. He’s fast, like, _ really _ fast. She could tell by the look on her teammates faces that they were thinking the same thing. 

“Train hard and do your Best,” the man advised, before leaning down to pat Sasuke on the shoulder. “And remember,” he continued, in a much lower voice, “the toughest opponents are often the ones you don’t see coming.”

And with that, both teacher and student blinked out of sight. 

_____________

When they finally made it to the third floor, Kakashi was waiting for them. The man had horrible posture, really, and he was all slouched over with his hands in his pockets as he spoke to them. But the tone of his voice and the way his eye crinkled let Sakura know that he was being sincere. 

“I’m proud of you guys. All three of you made it. Even you… Sakura.”

Channaro! I knew that part about individual choices was bullshit, Inner called. Sakura just rolled her eyes and said, “We get it, sensei. You didn’t expect to see me here, but I saw through your game from the start. And there’s no way I’m going to let my team go on without me!”

If Kakashi was surprised by her outburst, he didn’t let it show. “That’s just like my cute little genin, to see through Kakashi’s old tricks.”

“Uh, sensei? What trick? I still don’t understand--” Naruto started.

“You all needed to be here to pass on to the exams. You’re taking them as a team, after all. You’ll need all three of you to work together if you want to make it out of this one. I just told you it was an individual choice so that Certain Individuals wouldn’t get pressured into taking it by her-uh-their teammates.” 

Naruto just scratched his head. “I still don’t get it, what’s all the fuss about? What tricks? Who’s getting pressured? You’re talking about me, aren’t you? Well, I’ll have you know that that Sasuke bastard could never pressure me into anything, ever, so I don’t know what you’re worrying about…” He continued as Sakura dragged him and Sasuke to the exam room so they could get this damn thing over with. 

______________

After a confrontation in the waiting area that involved Naruto screaming at the top of his lungs that everyone was jack shit compared to him, Sakura really thought the day couldn’t get any worse. But… a paper test? Really!? One where your teammates failing could lead to you failing as well? There was no way they were passing this one. Naruto already had his head on the desk, clutching it like it was in pain, and the test hadn’t even begun yet. They were absolutely fucked. 

She glanced at the test below her. All these questions were way too difficult for Naruto to answer! Hell, she’d be surprised if Sasuke could answer them with no trouble. Sakura wasn’t all that worried about herself (if anything, she was booksmart), but damn her chances of passing were really steep. And what was with the tenth question? Why wasn’t it on the paper? Maybe there was some way she could show Naruto her answers… but no, he was sitting too far away. Besides, watching Naruto try to cheat would be like watching a bull be stealthy. It just wouldn’t work, he would get caught. Ugh, maybe she should just call it a day. She knew she wasn’t ready for this anyway. _C’mon, don’t give up that easily!_ Inner chided her. _I know you’re better than that. What happened to this being the opportunity where you can prove yourself? Get it, girl! Channaro!_ Letting Inner be her guide, Sakura resolved not to give up. Naruto has dreams of being the hokage one day, and I… I want to see that dream come true, Sakura realized. And with that final resolution, she set to work finishing the test. 

Before long she had completed all the questions. They were hard, sure, but nothing the top-scoring kunoichi (no, top-scoring _shinobi_ if you count paper grades!) couldn’t handle. She sat idly, waiting for the last question, making sure her eyes didn’t stray too much so that they couldn’t accuse her of cheating. She hoped for the best for her other two teammates. From the glances of Sasuke she’d gotten it looked like he wasn’t panicking, and he was almost finished. She must have been wrong about him not being able to handle the test. Naruto, on the other hand, did not look so good. He was muttering to himself, bent over the desk with his head in his hands and even from her seat she could tell her was sweating nervously. Just get one question right, Naruto! She tried to relay to him. Just get one right and If Sasuke gets a few correct, and I have all of them right, I can carry those two through this. Sakura smiled to herself. Let me handle this for once, boys. Channaro!

  
Then the proctor, Morino Ibiki, announced that it was time for the last question. She sat up a little straighter in her seat. 

“Now, before we get into this, you have a choice. You may choose not to answer this question, in which case you will automatically fail the exam.” A murmur of dissent spread through the crowd. Several teams had already been kicked out due to cheating, but there was still a lot of people left. Who would choose to fail like that? “Settle down,” Ibiki continued. “Now, for those of you who do elect to answer this question, you only have one chance to get it right. And if you fail… you’ll be prohibited from taking the chunin exams ever again.” Another wave of chatter hit the group, as people muttered to themselves about the odds of passing. 

“It’s up to you.” Ibiki said in a low voice, “Choose wisely.”

For a while no one moved. Then a boy from the back raised a trembling hand and declared that he would like to forfeit. His teammates looked at him angrily as they were all escorted out of the room. Then, as if spurred on by his actions, more and more people began raising their hands. Soon, only a couple dozen teams remained. 

Sakura knew she wouldn’t forfeit, she trusted herself to answer the question right. And Sasuke was far too proud to ever admit defeat like that. But would Naruto…? She saw him shaking, head still clutched in his hands, sweat dripping down the back of his neck. He wanted to be the Hokage, and he couldn’t do that as a genin forever, could he? She just prayed that he would trust in himself, and believe in his teammates. She saw him raise a trembling hand…

...just to slam it back down on the table. “It’s gonna take more than that to make me give up, you better believe it!” Naruto yelled. “I’m gonna be the Hokage someday and I’m not going to do it by squandering my chances here!”

Sakura nearly had tears in her eyes; she was so proud. Sasuke, on the other hand, was far from crying. He just rolled his eyes and drawled, “Can we get the tenth question already?”

Ibiki looked darkly back at the Uchiha. “For your behavior,” he growled, “you all… Pass” he finished with a huff. “Congratulations.”

Everyone in the room whooped with joy, Naruto looked a mixture of confused and relieved, Sasuke looked annoyed, and Sakura was over the moon. Before he could explain any further, however, the window to his left shattered and a woman with a giant trench coat came bursting out. 

“Oi, brats, why are there so many of you? Ibiki, you made the exams too easy this year,” the woman said. Ibiki tried to answer but she cut him off again. “Doesn’t matter, don’t care, next phase will weed out at least half of these motherfuckers.” Ibiki just rolled his eyes at her attitude. 

Then the woman turned to face the class. She had long black hair pinned up in a ponytail, and was wearing a _ very _ see-through mesh shirt and shorts. The only thing she had on top of the mesh was her large trench coat and a pair of combat boots. A maniacal grin painted her face, and there were bloodstains on her jacket. 

“Alright, kiddos, welcome to the second phase of the exam. I’m Anko Mitarashi, and I’ll be your proctor for this phase. Here are three rules you have to remember: don’t talk to me, don’t look at me, and don’t piss me off. Follow me, you brats.” And with that, she jumped out the window again. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so, like i mentioned, this is my first fic, and i would really, really love some feedback. I'm not super happy with this chapter, because it actually wasn't the first one i wrote chronologically, but it gets better in the next phase! let me know what you guys think! i'm very open to any criticisms of my story or of naruto in general. i love this manga but i hate it. DM me if you wanna rant about how sakura deserved better, and all the naruto women deserved better!! i promise you i could talk about this for ages.


	2. Forest of Death: Part 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> the team enters the forest of death. naruto takes a piss, sasuke comes up with a codeword, and sakura takes care of her boys.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so this is part (1/2) in the forest of death! this was meant to just be one chapter, but i got carried away...

Listen up brats!” Anko howled at the top of her lungs. “This here is the Forest of Death, also known as Training Ground Forty-Four. You got several kilometers of dense jungle to trek through, plus a river with a tower in the center.” Anko smiled at the small children with a grin full of teeth. “You’ll each receive one of two scrolls-- Heaven or Earth. Your job is to bring both kinds of scrolls to the tower. You have five days. Good luck! Don’t die.”

________________

“Ok,” Naruto started, “so we’ve already got a heaven scroll, right? So that means all we need is an earth scroll?”

“That’s right, Naruto, and there is a 50% chance that whoever we encounter will have the scroll we need. But we need to make sure not to broadcast which scroll we have, so for Gods’ sakes keep your voice down.” Sakura replied with a huff. 

“I’ll take the scroll.” Sasuke said. 

Sakura looked up, startled, “but actually, Sasuke-kun, I had a plan for… you know what, never mind. You take it. My plan probably wouldn’t have worked anyway.” _Alright, that’s bullshit and you know it_, Inner scoffed. _Making copies and then rotating them around would have been genius! Then even we wouldn’t know which scroll was the real one, much less an enemy. They would have to take us all down, instead of just going in for whoever they think had the scroll. _But Sasuke gets what Sasuke wants, and Sakura was too afraid to challenge him at that point. So her brilliant plan would stay in her head. They walked about a kilometer towards the tower, making a pretty good pace. Sasuke had made it known that they were prioritizing speed over preparation. 

“Other teams might set up camp and make traps, but we want to get to the tower as quickly as possible. That way, we can worry about ambushing teams that are already on their way to the tower, who have let their guard down.”

Even Sakura had to admit it was a good plan. So they trekked off towards the tower with haste. The forest was quiet. Everything went wrong when Naruto decided he had to pee. After Sakura scolded him for his indecency, he went behind a bush to do it. And when he came back, something was off. Sasuke noticed it first. 

“Naruto wears his kunai holster on his right side, not his left side. Who are you?”

“I’m glad you asked,” the henge faded and in his place was a sly Rain nin. “My name is Haro. I’ll be taking your scroll, if you don’t mind.”

Sasuke smirked and let a flower of flame blossom in front of them, creating some distance between them and the enemy nin. The few shuriken he concealed inside his flames pinned the shinobi to a nearby tree, and from there Sasuke jumped over to disable him. They found Naruto tied up behind a tree, pants still unzipped. The first thing he said when they untied him was “I never got to pee.” 

After everyone’s business had been taken care of and Naruto had kindly agreed to zip up his pants, they huddled together in a group. 

“Ok,” Sasuke started, “so we need to come up with a codeword so we can recognize each other. So we know it’s not just some henge.” 

He came up with something so long and contrived, Sakura almost rolled her eyes. Inner definitely did. But she was booksmart if nothing else, so she would remember it word for word. Naruto just scratched his head in confusion, but before he could protest, Sasuke got up and started walking again. Sakura just followed him. They continued on. After a while Sakura noticed something; the forest was quiet. That’s always a bad sign. 

Suddenly three figures appeared in front of them and threw an explosive tag. All three members of team seven ducked to get out of the way, but the explosion blurred Sakura’s vision and she lost track of the other two. Those figures, whatever they were, all wore slanted hats and ill fitting clothes. She was almost sure one of them had snuck up on Anko earlier. This meant bad news.

She heard a noise from the underbrush and saw Sasuke. “Thank god you’re okay--” she started, but he held a hand up. 

“Codeword.” He said. 

She repeated it verbatim. Sakura was nothing if not booksmart, after all.

“Good. It’s really you.” Sakura was touched to see he really breathed a sigh of relief at that. “Have you seen Naruto?” 

“No,” she answered, “I lost track of both of you after the explosion.”

“I’m right here you guys!” yelled a brash voice in a tone that was just a little too loud. (Speak of the devil! Inner gasped.)

“Naruto. Codeword.”

Naruto just grinned and repeated the codeword, word for word. Sakura sighed in relief, and she looked over to see Sasuke smiling as well. Then, he threw a kunai at their teammate. 

“Sasuke, what the hell?!” She shouted, looking at Naruto’s body in horror. Then, a cloud of smoke began to rise from the body and surround it. 

And just like that something that had just looked like their team shifted into a woman with long hair and a long tongue, a slanted hat resting on her head. She wore a ribbon around her midsection and loose fitting clothes. And she radiated an aura so murderous it froze both of them in fear. 

_________________

Things always go wrong when the forest is quiet. 

Sakura was frozen in place by an aura so terrifying it must have come from Death itself. She turned when she heard a scream, and out of the corner of her eye saw Naruto get swallowed by a snake bigger than the Hokage Tower, but she had no time to recuperate. Sasuke stood next to her, paralyzed by the same dreadful chakra. In an instant, the forest was no longer quiet. 

“I suppose you’ll be wanting this?” the snake lady said, holding out her earth scroll. Then, she opened her mouth, unhinged her jaw, and swallowed it whole. If that didn’t strike fear into the hearts of all, that Sakura didn’t know what would.

Then, Sakura saw herself die. 

She saw a kunai thrown at her, watched it with two eyes as it grew closer. Time stood still, and she watched it connect with her head. She felt it pierce her skin, then her flesh, then her skull. She felt the blood leak out of her head. Then, she felt herself die. 

_ Genjutsu _. She snapped out of her reverie while Sasuke stood still, and let his eyes widen as the snake-woman came closer. Sakura stepped in front of him then, shakily holding a kunai in front of her. “Sasuke, we’ve got to run!” Sakura cried, tugging her teammates arm to no avail. The snake-woman came at them again, with even more force, tongue lashing and senbon flying. Sakura pushed Sasuke out of the way, but he remained frozen; Sasuke, her hero and savior, was frightened to death of this thing. Think, Sakura, what would Naruto say? What would he do? She parried a couple more senbon and rolled out of the way of another attack. Inner yelled back at her, _Naruto isn’t saying much, he’s in the belly of a massive python right now! Think, Sakura, think!_ She turned to Sasuke and rolled them both over, dodging another one of the woman’s senbon. 

“You aren’t hurt, are you s-s-scaredy-cat? She stuttered out, hoping to god the taunt would work on him. 

Sasuke immediately snapped to, rolling them both over to dodge another way of kunai. I guess Naruto can be helpful, Sakura mused, even when he’s stuck in the body of a snake. She looked down at Sasuke, and he looked back at her, with both shock and thanks in his eyes. Both emotions quickly turned to determination as he then jumped up. Sasuke activated his Sharingan, turning to face his opponent at last, but the snake-woman was not fazed. Her neck elongated and her jaw unhinged, as she darted out between the trees to ensnare them. Sakura grabbed Sasuke’s arm and yelled “Run!” as they crashed through the underbrush, ducking low to avoid her fangs. The girl felt herself go into fight or flight mode, her survival mechanism clearly choosing the latter. She pulled Sasuke along, grasping his arm so hard she was sure it might leave bruises. Laughter echoed around them, the snake woman’s voice seeming to come from all sides. Sasuke ducked behind a tree and put a finger to his lips, motioning for Sakura to follow. She knelt behind the tree, and it was then she realized that she hadn’t been as successful parrying senbon as she’s thought; several stuck out of her leg, and two on her left shoulder as well. The pain hadn’t even registered. 

“Come out and play children” they heard the snake-lady say in a singsong voice. “It’s not very polite to keep your guests waiting.” It was about then that Sakura let it sink in-- they were utterly fucked. 

“Hn, uh, Sakura?” Sasuke stammered uncomfortably. 

“What?” She whispered back, tone still harsh with fear. 

“You can let go of my arm now.” 

She nearly died of mortification. “Of course, Sasuke-kun, s-sorry about that.” She let go of his arm and noticed there were indeed red marks left behind, and the beginning of at least one bruise. Sakura gathered herself, shaking her head slightly to let the blush seep out of her cheeks. So much for fight or flight mode, Inner laughed. She turned back to him and said “Ok, so what’s the plan?”

His response was to breathe a ball of flame directly above her head, hitting the snake woman in the face. Shit--how had she not heard anyone approach? And did he not think to warn her? The top of her head was almost singed! Sasuke breathed another wall of fire in between them, creating some much needed distance. Surely, after having been hit in the face with a fireball… the woman couldn’t have survived a direct hit like that! Sakura watched through the flames, in horror as the woman’s skin melted off. Inner was retching and Sakura herself felt very much like throwing up, perhaps crying a little too, when she noticed with terror that this was no ordinary reaction to a burn. The woman’s skin was literally peeling off, revealing another skin underneath. A paler, more andrognyous face gleamed behind the shedding skin; a snake reborn. She-they summoned another large snake (less massive than the other, Inner noted with relief) to stand on top of. The relief didn’t last long, as the snake’s tail whipped towards her, slamming her into a far off tree trunk. The rest she watched through blurry, tear-filled eyes as she slowly started losing consciousness. The snake-person’s neck elongated again, and their fangs soon found Sasuke’s neck. They whispered something in his ear, and Sasuke fainted. Sakura tried to hold on, but she was losing consciousness too. There were spots in her vision and she was sure some of her ribs had cracked. _Focus, Sakura, Focus!_ The last thing she saw was the massive python return and deposit Naruto at her feet before everything went black. 

_______________

She couldn’t have been unconscious for more than a few minutes before she came to. Naruto lay at her feet, slimy and bloodied, while Sasuke lay several feet ahead of her. She tried rousing Naruto but was met with silence, and Sasuke she didn’t even want to try and wake up. Naruto had a head injury and Sasuke had a strange mark on his neck from where the lady- person-thing had bitten him. Poison, Sakura panicked, it must be poison. It was up to her, she had to get them all to safety. But she couldn’t exactly carry two teenage boys around on her back until she reached the tower, could she? No, she was a little taller than Naruto but she was still pretty sure he weighed more. Not for the first time that day, she cursed her latest diet. “When I get out of this”, Sakura promised with gritted teeth, “I’m going to eat so much barbeque.” Her stomach growled at the promise of a meal, but the girl had to make herself focus. 

Her dress was covered in blood and whatever slime had oozed from the snake, her hair was full of dirt and leaves, and her skin felt clammy and sweaty. There were spots in her vision, her head hurt really bad, and she couldn’t quite focus her left eye. Her whole body ached in pain, her chest hurt something awful, and she was barely conscious. How the hell was she going to get out of this?

_You’re going to die_, Inner said in horror. _You’re going to die and Sasuke is going to die and Naruto is going to die and it’s going to be all your fault. You will never see your parents or Kakashi-sensei and his dogs ever again, you hear me? This forest is going to be the last thing you ever see, and that creepy snake-lady is going to be etched into your mind forever._

_Focus, Sakura! Focus!_ First things first: she needed to get away from this place. It was safe to assume that the enemy might come for this location again, or even another team might see the signs of battle and hope to salvage the scraps. She could still see the river from where she was sitting, and that was her key. She walked over to where Sasuke lay and hauled him over her shoulder (good god this boy was heavy!) towards the river. Every step seemed to increase the weight on her shoulders, and she almost slipped on a tree root (twice). Finally, she reached the river bank and took a moment to dip her hands in and wash her face. She needed a clear head for this. She stood up and walked back to where Naruto lay, a short distance off. He too, was dragged rather unceremoniously to the riverbank. There. First goal accomplished. 

Sakura didn’t have a plan. She didn’t have a plan at all but oh god thinking about the plan-less state she was in just made her panic even more, so enough of that! Sakura started to feel a determination setting in, the kind of determination you get when you’ve already run thirty laps but Kakashi-sensei asks you to go one more. Just get this done, she told herself. You can do this, Sakura. So she moved on to step two. 

Slowly, very gently, she cradled Sasuke’s head on her lap. Less gently, she ripped ribbons off her dress and soaked them in water. The med kit has been lost somewhere in the woods, so her Academy-taught basics would have to do. She cleaned all of Sasuke’s visible wounds, then ripped some more parts off her dress to bandage them. Then, Sakura had a thought. She had read every book in the pre-Genin section of the library, and she wasn't called the smartest shinobi of her year for nothing! (_that’s right, shinobi , not kunoichi, _Inner crowed._ She even had better test scores than Sasuke, and you better believe it!_) Sakura spent some time searching the riverbank, always making sure to keep the boys in sight. Turmeric or eucalyptus would be ideal, but dandelion would do fine. Finally, the girl found what she was looking for: A couple dandelions and some turmeric. She spotted something that might have been cat’s claw, but she wasn’t 100% sure and didn’t want to take any chances. Then, she found two rocks and ground up the roots into a poultice. The paste turned out to be a greenish-white color, which was definitely a good sign that she had ground them up right. Noticing the sun was getting dark above her, she sped up her ministrations. Soon both boys wounds had been cleaned and bandaged, and hopefully that poultice would at least halt infection. She moved on to herself, and by that time it was certainly dusk. The sky was red, which couldn’t be a good sign. 

Step three: after basic injuries have been attended to and infection has been prevented, they must find a way to move locations. This part seemed almost impossible, and she spent several minutes screaming at herself in her head until she figured out the simplest solution. Focus, Sakura, _ Focus _ . She searched for several branches of wood, and ripped another part of her dress (which was now more of a shirt) to make into a rope. Once they were roped together, she unloaded both boys onto her makeshift raft and got in the water herself. She reinforced the raft with vines and leaves, making sure it was solid, before pushing the raft off into the river. She remained tied to it by a solitary vine, and gently pulled it along so it would drift on the current. Thankfully, _ thankfully _mother of all mercy had ensured that the river flowed towards the tower and not away from it. Sakura decided that her best plan was to travel by dark and hide in the day, so as to minimize the risk of being seen by another team. So she pushed that boat, pushed it for hours until the sun had started to rise in the sky. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> we're getting there, we're getting there


	3. Forest of Death: Part 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> sakura is alone in the Forest of Death

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i've been really excited about this chapter, let me know what you guys think! this is actually the first chapter i wrote, cuz i was just soo excited about this scene. in case you couldn't tell, i have no idea how to write fight scenes, but hopefully I didn't muck it up too bad. btw, we get some POV switch here, but I swear it's important and I'm doing it for a reason. one of these people is gonna be important later!

It was finally dawn, and Sakura found a place to make camp. Tucked between two logs was less of a cave and more of a crevice in a rock, but it would do for now. _Ok, Sakura, breathe, breathe, we made it to someplace safe. Now to fortify it, you know what to do_. She set a few meager traps around the camp with the ninja tools she had left. A couple tripwires that would alert her if they were disturbed, one pitfall that wasn’t even that deep, and a particularly large log she rigged to fall on top of their location should she set it off. She hid the raft in the bushes nearby and layed the boys inside the cave, making sure to change the bandages on their worst injuries. At this point her dress nearly exposed her midriff. She had to borrow clothes from the boys as well, so Naruto’s shirt was missing pieces and Sasuke’s shorts were noticeably shorter. She couldn’t bring herself to rip Naruto’s signature jacket, so that was the only thing left intact. Sasuke had arrived with his pack still together, so she stole a pair of shorts from his rucksack. She figured it was only fair, hers were filthy from blood and wading in the river, and he couldn’t protest anyway. So she crouched in her ripped and borrowed clothes, clutched a kunai to her chest, and tried not to fall asleep. 

Needless to say, she fell asleep. She was tired from working non-stop, and being in survival mode in a place called the Forest of Death really does things to you. She was alert enough that she would wake at a loud rustle of the nearby underbrush, but even the occasional rabbit wasn’t enough to soothe her fears. She was still panicking, a deep, deep kind of panic that sets itself in one’s bones and _hums_. Her hair was brittle and covered in dried blood, her shirt was still rather wet, and her teeth chattered both from fear and the cold. She slept fitfully, and woke feeling unrested and very, very hungry. She searched Sasuke’s pack for something to eat, and all he had was a bit of jerky. She had packed several sandwiches, and had her pack not got lost in the scuffle with the snake-person, she could be eating a hearty meal right now. Sakura’s stomach grumbled on cue. 

She looked back to check on her boys. Naruto was still out cold with a lump on his head the size of her palm, but he was also feeling a bit feverish. Perhaps she had been too late to clean his wounds, and they had gotten infected after all? He was inside a snake, who knows what he got exposed too. He was warm and clammy, his forehead hot to the touch, and he was sweating a bit. She put a cool, water-soaked cloth on his head to relieve the heat, but she didn’t know if it was doing much. She changed it every hour anyway. 

Sasuke on the other hand was cold to the touch. He shivered, and sweat a bit too, but mostly he was quiet. Naruto slept fitfully, tossing and turning or occasionally crying out, but Sasuke lay completely still. It was eerie, and to be honest, it worried Sakura a whole lot. She gave him Naruto’s jacket as a blanket, but it didn’t seem to be doing much. Just until nightfall, she promised. Then we can start moving toward the tower again. They didn’t have their earth scroll, and there were only three days left, but it didn’t matter if they didn’t pass. At this point, Sakura would be happy with just being alive, and the assurance that she would _never_ have to see that creepy snake-lady again. 

Sakura stayed on guard. Just a few more hours till dusk, she muttered to herself. Then we can get moving again. A rustle from a nearby branch jolted her awake, but it was just a squirrel. A squirrel, with a tag on it’s back? She threw a kunai at it just in case. Sure enough the squirrel ran away and she saw an explosive tag on its back. Probably a pet gone astray, or a sick prank by the proctors. She crept over to retrieve her kunai. That’s when she heard the voice.

“Hey girlie. We wanna fight the Uchiha. Wake him up for us, would you?”

She stilled, the hand that had been reaching for the kunai trembling in fear. Three figures stood in front of her: a man covered in bandages, one in fur with spiky hair, and a girl. All three of them were wearing uniforms and headbands of the Sound. She was so fucked. 

“Orochimaru said we needed to get the clan kid, but the other two we can kill, right?” Spiky Hair taunted. “Hey girlie, step out of the way and I won’t take my sweet time cutting you up into little pieces.” 

Sakura stood in front of her boys, kunai in hand, trembling. It was time to fight. 

__________________

Kin had worked for Sound before there even was a Sound, when it was just a small faction of Rice Country. She never knew her mother, and the man she called her Father was probably not related to her by blood. He raised her nonetheless, and taught her how to use the blade. Kin called him Father and he was hard and tough, with a large build and brown hair and a full beard. His skin was rough from work when he struck her. He was a mercenary who did odd jobs around Rice Country, killing who needed to be killed, and protecting who needed to be protected. He didn’t have much of a moral compass, but he did have one rule: look ‘em in the eye when you do it. “If you’re gonna take a life, know what it is you’re taking” he would always say, with a drag of his cigarette. 

When Orochimaru came, hell became order. It was murder with none of the emotion or choas of before, just simple, cold blooded murder. He didn’t look half his victims in the eye before he killed them, or experimented on them, or god knows what else he did. If they’d ever met, she didn’t think Father would like Orochimaru very much. But he knew the order. You work for whoever’s feeding you, whoever gives you the best shot to get on top. Father wouldn’t have liked him, but he probably would have worked for him. 

Kin understood men like her Father. She did not understand men like Orochimaru. Nevertheless, she worked for him. 

But she would look this girl in the eyes as she killed her. She owed her Father that much. 

And what eyes they were! Green and angry, full of hate and love and hope. Kin’s own eyes were brown and large, but they lacked the ferocity this girl had. She used to have eyes that watered easily, so the other children would call her “crybaby Kin”. Then she would hit them with the largest stick she could find. So she felt for this girl, who’s own eyes looked like they were about to water. She wasn’t the only crybaby around. 

Zaku, ever the zealous ninja, strut towards her like a predator stalking its prey. That overconfident bastard was going to get himself-- and he already fell in the hole. It was an effective pithole, if rather shallow. Kin supposed the girl had been working with what she had. She and Dozu both sighed in contempt. Let the bastard get himself out. 

“That might have worked on that idiot, girlie, but it ain’t gonna work on us.” Dozu drawled, advancing on the girl. “Have any more fun traps you’d like to test out?”

She stood up straighter. “Actually, yeah, I would.” 

And with that a log came falling out of the sky. 

_____________

Sakura was definitely, definitely panicking. She was in deep, deep, shit. Sasuke and Naruto were unconscious, there were three highly trained ninjas out to kill them, and she had snake goo in her hair. Deep shit. 

The log fell, as planned, straight for the bandaged guy. He tried to dodge but it swung too fast, so he lifted his arms to the sky. Was he… praying? Definitely not praying. He had something attached to his arm, and whatever it was obliterated the log in one go. So much for that plan. The only saving grace was the splinters and branches had all fallen on the Spiky guy’s head, and he seemed to be out cold. _Work with it Sakura,_ Inner cried!

Infuriated by her newest trap, Bandages lunged at her. She threw a few shuriken at him to create some space, but that didn’t stop his advancement. He threw a kunai at her but she replaced herself with a log. Kawarimi took very little chakra, so Sakura hoped she could keep it up for a while. And with that, a plan formed in her mind. She came from behind, throwing more shuriken at him, and replaced herself again with another log. Time for the waiting game. 

_____________

While Dozu was dancing with the girl, Kin went over to dig Zaku out of the remains of her traps. The dumbass was probably knocked out cold. Should have been looking above him and paying attention, but he floundered under pressure. Typical. The girl was doing some kind of dance and seriously overusing the Kawarimi, but who was she to care. She flitted around Dozu like a bug, throwing a few shuriken here and there, but not doing much of anything. What was her gameplan, anyway? Annoy them to death? 

She reached into the pithole and grabbed Zaku by the shoulders. He weighed a ton. Always me doing the heavy lifting, she thought to herself. 

______________

Dozu was getting real tired of pink-haired little girls. He didn’t have much of a stomach for them to begin with, but this one was really testing his patience. She flitted about, this way and that, but her attacks became predictable, simple. He went for her with a kunai, then turned around as quickly as possible to deflect the oncoming shuriken. It was like a game. A game he was soon growing bored with. He didn’t even have to use his sound. 

She came at him for the nth time, kunai raised and then thrown. He deflected it, then turned in anticipation of her next move. He was met with a kunai in the back. Curse his ineptitude, that was such a stupid plan he didn’t even forsee it. Nevertheless, she should have aimed better, the kunai had only hit his shoulder and he could still fight. All she’d managed to do was annoy him. He twisted in the air and slammed her down with a kick, that should break some ribs. Then he landed on both feet, turned to face her, and let out a wave of sound. It sent her flying back into the trunk of a tree, shuriken falling from her hand. 

That’ll teach the little bitch, he thought to himself. She was bleeding from at least one ear and surely off kilter by now. That blast damn near knocked out her inner ear, I reckon, Dozu thought to himself. He advanced on the little girl, blasting her with more sound every step. 

“How… do you like… that… huh?!” He grinned, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth. He’d really need to get that shoulder wound checked out later. 

He stood right in front of her, and heard the shouts of his teammates. He blasted them back with a wave of sound, this girl was his prey. 

“Checkmate.” he said, leering down at her. 

She spat at him. “_Checkmate_.” She said and brought her hands together in a sign. 

Then his back exploded. 

_______________

Dumbasses. Both of her teammates were dumbasses. And now one was dead. Kin retched at the sight of his back going up in flames, catching his bandages on fire almost instantly. He was a corpse now, bloodied and burned. She’d tried to warn him, as soon as she saw the explosive tags littering his back. The stupid girl must have put them on when his back was turned, stabbing him in the shoulder as a distraction so he would think she’d missed. But she hadn’t missed. 

Crybaby Kin. That’s what they used to call her. And she’d be damned if she shed a tear over a motherfucker like Dozu. He was the kind of man who enjoyed hurting animals, who liked to hear his victims scream. Ain’t no damn way she was shedding a tear over him. 

Zaku ran at the girl first. She ducked out of the way of Kin’s senbon and met him with a kunai in hand. There was a clash of metal on metal, and then Zaku pushed her back with a wave of force. She tumbled back, hitting her head on a stubborn tree root. She shakily stood up yet again, putting herself between them and the boys. She looked bad, really bad. She was standing funny, her clothes were all ripped, her shorts were too big on her, she was bloodied and bruised and there was no one coming to save her. The wound in her head had started oozing blood, in the slow, trickly that let you know something was really wrong. She had started crying. 

Kin assumed that was her first kill. She might have felt more empathy for the girl if she remembered her own first kill. But that was a lifetime ago, and killing was so part of her daily routine that she’d long since forgotten. 

Zaku rounded her up and grabbed a fistfull of her hair. He bent down to speak in her ear. 

“This is what you get for taking care of that pretty, pretty hair instead of learning how to fight.”

Kin frowned. She herself had pretty, pretty hair, longer than the girl’s, and she could kick Zaku’s ass any day. She would find a reason to, soon, just to teach him a lesson about disrespecting women. 

The pink little girl desperately reached for a kunai.

“Oh I don’t think that’s going to work on me, little girl.”

She grit her teeth in pain and grunted out “Not… for.. you.”

Then she whipped the kunai through her pretty, pretty hair, cutting it to pieces. 

_____________

Sakura was many things. Stoic was not one of them. So when she cut her hair, she cried. They were tears of sadness. Tears that mourned her well-kept hair and her morning routines and her femininity. But they were tears of joy too. Tears that welcomed and wept for a future of liberation. 

Sakura cried when she cut her hair. But she was not sorry. 

She swept a leg out from under her to knock the man behind her off his feet. It worked, for a second, and she was upon him, kunai at the ready. She made to stab him but he blocked her, so she bit his hand. He howled in pain, but did not let go. 

Sakura continued to cry as the Sound man beat her. He was angry, surely, and wanted to take it all out on her. He boxed her ears and bashed her head on the ground again and again. He kicked her in the ribs and oh, that did all kinds of bad things to the ones already broken. He punched her hard and bloodied and raw, and then used his force to knock her into a tree again. She slid down the trunk and he picked her back up by the throat, his fingers squeezing tightly across her neck. Sakura glimpsed the other nin behind him, and even she looked appalled. 

“Help…” she croaked, and she could swear the girl’s eyes filled with tears. 

“Zaku… Zaku that’s enough. That’s enough just-- end it already. Please… Zaku. Just stop.”

The man-- Zaku? Did not stop. If nothing else, his fingers grew tighter around her neck. Her vision was getting blurry, blackness threatened the corners of her eyes. She was choking, spit dribbled from her mouth and landed on his hands. He spat in her face in return. She was losing focus. Focus, Sakura, _ Focus _! _We can’t let them win!_ Inner screamed, _We can’t let them get to the boys!_ She was losing focus. Zaku was pinning her to the tree by her throat, and her legs kicked uselessly but they were started to become less responsive. She could feel her eyes rolling up in her head. 

And that’s why she missed it-- the moment Zaku died. She just heard him cough blood into her face, and she looked down and saw a hand through his chest. A hand covered in wriggling marks. Somehow they reminded her of snakes. They he went limp and she slid down the tree trunk, and looked into the eyes of an Avenger. 

__________________

Sakura was hurt. Sakura was hurt and Sasuke was furious. His female teammate was supposed to be the one that stayed safe, that was protected, that remained unharmed. She should not have beaten, bloody, and bruised, with a man’s hands wrapped around her neck. Her hair had been shorn off to her ears, and her skin was a patchwork of bruises. She clutched at her chest, protecting her ribcage from further harm. Hell, she was barely standing straight, her back up against the trunk of a tree. He caught her before she could fall down. There was blood from the other nin splattered across her face and her dress had been ripped so badly in was nearly unrecognizable. He was going to make whoever did this pay. 

Despite having just lost a fight to what may have been the scariest opponent of his life, Sasuke felt good. He felt strong, and powerful. He felt like he could take on the world, and he sure as hell could take on a team of Sound nin. One down, two to go he thought. He turned to see another nin, a girl this time, looking at him with fear and tears in her eyes. What a crybaby. He strode over to her, noticing how the marks on his arms continued to wriggle and twist. He could feel them emanating from his neck, and knew that whatever that man did to him it was the source of his power. He had the snake to thank.

“Please…” he heard the girl say, “we were only sent to test you. We didn’t mean- I didn’t mean for it to go this far.”

He responded with a kick to her head. “Too little, too late” he grunted out. 

His kick landed, and she crumpled back. To the girl’s credit, she pushed herself back up into a fighting stance. Four senbon appeared in her hand and she threw them at Sasuke, while catapulting herself backwards to create some distance. He easily dodged them. The girl was clearly shaken. When he got close enough, he aimed another kick, this time at her midsection. She jumped back again and threw some more senbon, which he parried. He used the momentary distraction to lunge at her, throwing some more punches and kicks. He was fast, really fast, and she was so slow. She tried to block some of his attacks, but most of them hit; it was time to end this. He swept her legs out from underneath her and pinned her arms to her back. Sasuke bent down and whispered in her ear, “I’m an avenger. And this is for what you did to my teammate.” Then he strained her arm, and stepped on it. The sound of her bone breaking put a smile on Sasuke’s face. He was powerful! He had never felt such a rush before, he felt strong, he felt like he could do anything. The girl screamed, but strangely enough she had stopped crying. The sound of her tortured, broken scream sent shivers of pleasure and anticipation down Sasuke’s spine. 

“Now,” he said, “let’s do the other.”

He took ahold of her other arm and bent it behind her back. He twisted it, relishing the grunt of pain he heard. And then, suddenly, two arms were wrapped around him from behind. He heard Sakura’s voice. 

“Sasuke… please… stop. This isn’t you.” 

His first thought was one of anger. How dare she tell him what to do, what he could and couldn’t do, his will was to be imposed on the world whether she liked it or not. She was weak, and hurt, and scared, and he was none of those things. He let go of the girls arms and stepped away, for reasons even he didn’t understand. He was power incarnate, he felt no pain or fear… only… guilt. He shouldn’t have let things come to this, to where Sakura had to suffer so. He was the strongest, he should have been there to protect her, but he wasn’t. Slowly, he felt the curse mark receding; saw the marks on his arms wiggling back to where they came from. Suddenly he was just tired. 

“I’m sorry, Sakura.” he said, his eyes blurring with what he refused to believe were tears. 

“It’s ok.”

“I’m sorry.”

He fell to his knees on the ground and squeezed his eyes shut hard, refusing to let even a single tear slip out. Sasuke Uchiha didn’t cry. She cradled him from behind, and neither said a word when the girl in front of them turned and ran back into the shadows of the forest. 

________________

Naruto woke up to see his two teammates looking far worse for wear. Sasuke was huddled in the corner with his knees tucked to his chest; his face gaunt and drawn with an unreadable expression. He was staring straight at Sakura, who was on Naruto’s other side dressing her wounds. And oh boy, what wounds they were. Naruto jumped up, worry painted all over his face. 

“Sakura-chan, oh my god, are you okay? Your hair is all gone, and so is your dress, and you’re covered in blood and bandages, and hey why is my shirt missing pieces, are you okay? Are those bruises on your throat-- did someone try to strangle you!? Oh I’ll kill that bastard wherever he is… hey speaking of bastards how come Sasuke doesn’t look all that worse for wear? Did you fail to protect my precious Sakura-chan, bastard? Oh gosh Sakura-chan, you look really bad, I mean not bad-bad, you’re still really pretty to me Sakura-chan! But oh my god what happened to you? How long was I out? Where are we?”

Sakura’s only response was to hand him a strip of beef jerky. 

“Eat up. I’ll explain on the way.” 

She stood up and brushed off her shorts, shorts which looked suspiciously like Sasuke’s.

“You’re fever finally broke, so we can get moving. We were attacked by a group of Sound nin, and I managed to salvage their earth scroll from Banda-- one of their bodies. We still have a day and a half to get to the tower, so let’s get moving.”

And with that, the party of three set off towards the tower in the middle of the Forest of Death. They made it eight hours and one skirmish-with-a-tiger later, and wearily handed their scrolls to the proctor. Then Sakura went straight to the medic tents and fell asleep. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> the first split from canon! in which rock lee and team ten DON'T show up to save the day, and sakura has to take care of things herself.


	4. The Prelims: Part 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> the first couple rounds of the preliminary matches: sakura makes a friend. ino realizes the truth.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ok so welcome to the first round of the preliminaries! this is one I've been meaning to get to for a while, but even I had no idea how attached I'd get to my girl Hinata! i love her and she deserves all nine pages. so yeah, longer chapter, new focus on some more female characters. i'm telling you i'm just rewriting the series so that all the women get what they deserve, love and respect!!

Ino thought herself lucky. Team Ten made it through the Forest without any major complications. They had taken down a group of Rain-nin quite easily using their signature Ino-Shika-Cho tactics. If there was one thing Team Ten was known for, it was working well together. There was a scare where they almost rand into that ominous Sand team, but thankfully Shikamaru had guided them out unscathed. The real trial came when they reached the tower. 

There were bodies littered around it. Clearly several other teams had come up with the idea to lay-in-wait, then ambush. Ino was already aware that they were some of the youngest participants, but seeing the bodies of fifteen-year-olds made it no better. They just reminded her of her cousins, their lifeless bodies draped around the tower like a gruesome tableau. The exams had claimed many that year. 

Even the ones that had made it out alive hadn’t made it unscathed. She saw room after room of genin being treated by medics, some with broken bones and others with half a lung missing. The exam took no measure to conceal the horror of her future career path, and perhaps that was for the best. It seemed like there was always something, someone trying to glamorize the ninja life. Her pretty flower shop was a front for a poison business, her father’s kind smiles would disappear after long work hours, and she knew that if she checked underneath his fingernails, they’d be caked with blood. Flowershops and torture, the pretty and the real. Sometimes Ino felt like that was her whole life-- fake blossoms placed to cover up the scent of something rotten. 

That was why she was drawn to Sakura, at first. She was a pretty flower who hid nothing underneath. She was pretty to her core. Sakura was kind and gentle with everything she held, her parents were kind and gentle with her, and her whole life seemed perfect. Ino never understood why she would mar something so pretty by exposing it to something as horrid as the shinobi path. Ino had been worried, when she heard that Team Seven’s first C-rank had gone wrong, that Sakura would lose the hope in her eyes, and the pretty core that stood at her heart. She feared the day those eyes would reflect only bitterness and death, and her hands would be so stained with blood that she had no choice but to cover it up with the scent of flowers. Then she would become like everyone else in Ino’s life-- full of lies and blossoms. 

It was this fear that made Ino’s heart drop when she saw Team Seven drag themselves through the entrance to the tower. Ino had long since recuperated and had chosen to sit by the entrance and watch the passerby, scoping out the competition. They looked awful. Naruto was perhaps the most unscathed, but even he was wrapped in bandages and looked slightly feverish. Ino felt her heart stutter when she saw Sasuke, also covered in bandages, with a strange mark on his neck that almost seemed to move. But that was nothing compared to how she felt when her eyes finally landed on Sakura, leading the way between her two boys. Her hair… her beautiful pink hair had been shorn to her ears, and it scraped her neck just enough to show off a ring of bruises. Ino felt the blood rush to her head as she imagined someone actually strangling Sakura, _ her _ Sakura. Her pretty cherry blossom. She was also covered in dried blood and bandages, the wound on her head _ still _ sluggishly bleeding. Her arms were caked in mud and bruises, and she looked as if she had been beaten up by someone far bigger than her. Blue and purple bloomed on her arms, just under her right eye, and across her neck. She also clutched her stomach close to her, hinting at even more bruises. Ino heard a roaring in her ears and saw her vision go red. Someone had _ done _ this, someone had _ done _ this to _ Sakura _ . Her kind and gentle friend, her lovely flower. The one who picked up stray dogs and cats and fed them scraps, the one who held her flowers with such care, the one who cried when she saw a dying butterfly. The one who turned and looked her in the eye, the bravest she’d ever been, and said “I like Sasuke _ too _.” The one who raced her to the academy every day, proclaiming “I won’t lose!” like always. The one who stood level with her and promised that she would become a worthy enough kunoichi to challenge her. But her eyes… Ino couldn’t bring herself to look at her eyes. She was frightened that the light in them would be gone. And then Sakura would become like everyone else in her life, everyone else in the shinobi world: cold and callous, distant and removed. 

_____________________

Sakura stared at the board and wiped the sweat off her brow. After recuperating in the medic tents for twenty-four hours she didn’t feel refreshed and well-rested so much as wrung dry. She had taken the liberty of washing up after the nightmare that had been the Forest, and yet no matter how hard she scrubbed she still felt as if the dirt had scarred her skin somehow, never fully washing off. She picked at her arms every once in a while, an indescribable itch setting in just beneath the skin. She felt unwhole. 

Her hair and dress were just as tattered as they were coming out of the Forest, and she didn’t know how to fix them. Her dress had been ripped into a long shirt, and her hair shorn off at level with her ears. Her clothes still stained with the blood and gore of several dead men, she had requested a change, and the medic nin had taken pity on the crying child and complied. She was given a black tank top and white medic pants in the smallest size they could find, along with a white medic coat that was more than a little big on her. It didn’t look nice or fit her at all, but at least it wasn’t stained with blood. 

There was nothing they were able to do about her hair, though. Her long, pink, beautiful hair that had reached her waist and swayed behind her in the breeze. Her greatest pride and joy. Hair that she had spent hours taking care of, combing and brushing and shampooing. Honestly, it had started out for Sasuke’s sake, growing out her hair because she thought he might like it, but it turned into her own comfort. Brushing it every day was a soothing routine that could calm her down after she riled herself up over Naruto’s antics, or Kakashi’s lateness, or Sasuke’s indifference. It became a part of her that she cherished; beauty wasn’t all about pleasing the boys, sometimes she just wanted to look nice for herself after all. Sakura didn’t regret cutting her hair, it was the right thing to do at the time. She swore that the next time she grew it out, she would do it entirely for herself. 

She had only had Naruto by her side, and he faced the board with her. Kakashi had taken one look at Sasuke and called the female proctor over, before ushering them both into another room. For a moment Sakura had felt herself clam up, feeling an urge to protect Sasuke and take him back. But this was Kakashi she was talking about, there was no need to be paranoid. Of course he would be safe with Kakashi. 

So she and her other team stood, side by side, as the next match was announced. Already, Shino had fought a Grass-nin and won, and Chouji had fought another Leaf-nin and lost. She was rather surprised that seemingly all the rookies had made it through, landing themselves in the preliminary elimination rounds. She was a mix of proud and scared, both for them and for herself. What if she had to go up against that Hyuuga boy? How could she possibly withstand that? Naruto seemed unwaveringly cheerful about the whole thing, and not for the first time she wondered how the boy did it. He was a little wound-up though, constantly glancing the in direction Sasuke had been taken, and then in her own direction. She couldn’t blame him. She felt the anxiety in her belly too, but instead she pointedly kept her eyes focused in front of her. The only sign she gave that she was struggling being kept in place was the persistent scratching and picking of her arms. She couldn’t help herself, she had to do _ something _ with her hands. 

The next match was Hyuuga versus Hyuuga. She looked over at her fellow kunoichi and saw her eyes widen with fear, before her jounin instructor put a hand on her shoulder to steady her. Oh, how Sakura wished she had a jounin instructor around to do the same. She could really use a hand on her shoulder right about then. It was then that Sakura noticed the jounin’s own hand shaking, her lips pursed tight and her face drawn. Even her teammates seemed unsettled. Kurenai knew Hinata was in trouble, and could do nothing about it. She bent down and whispered something in Hinata’s ear, and her eyes widened before she nodded. The trembling girl steeled herself before walking down the steps to meet her opponent. 

On the other side of the ring, the man in the green jumpsuit was trying to say something to the other Hyuuga, to no avail. She recognized him from earlier-- he was the teacher of that Rock Lee guy! Sakura was consumed by her memories as she realized that confrontation seemed like years ago…

“Ready… and…. Match!” The announcer called out as the two cousins stood face to face. One had eyes and nerves of steel, the other trembling in fear. 

At first the two did nothing but gaze into each other’s eyes, twin stares of byakugan. It was Neji who spoke first. 

“Forfeit. Or I won’t be responsible for what happens next.”

Sakura heard an intake of breath come from the crowd. 

“You’re weak,” Neji continued, “and not fit for this career. I can see you trembling from here. Give up.”

Over on the balcony next to her, Kurenai clucked her tongue in anger. Akamaru and Kiba growled low in tandem, and even Shino looked ready to throw hands. 

“I-I just-” Hinata responded but was cut off again by her elder. 

“You only ever entered these exams for your teammates, isn’t that right? To support them? That’s cute, but they don’t need you anymore. You’re up against me now, and you and I both know I don’t pull my punches.”

“Th-that’s not t-true,” Hinata stammered “I...I wanted to ch-change.”

Sakura felt her words ring true. She… she had also wanted to change, going into the exams, hadn’t she? She had wanted to become someone her teammates could rely on, someone to rival Ino, someone she could be proud of. Her heart ached for this girl, who stood on so clearly despite the odds. _She’s like me_, Inner noted. _She’s like I was in the Forest. Alone and scared, but standing tall anyway. _

Her thoughts were rudely interrupted by Neji’s cruel laugh. “Change? You? A spoiled brat of the main house? You’ll never change.”

Hinata took in a breath and looked away. 

“What you, _ my dear cousin _ , don’t understand, is that nobody changes. Not really. Not in any way that’s more than superficial. You were born weak, so that’s how you’ll stay. You were born as someone who loses to others, who kneels before others, and that’s _ exactly _ who you’ll always be. There’s nothing, no amount of wishing or training that will ever let you surpass me. I was born strong, and you were born a coward.”

His eyes changed then, the veins around them becoming more prominent and his blank stare seeming to focus. Sakura heard Kiba mutter “He’s activated his byakugan, that motherfucker” before his sensei slapped him upside the head for his language. So, Inner noted, this is the legendary Hyuuga ability. She filed the technique away for later investigation. 

Hinata seemed to shrink under his piercing gaze. 

“There you go again, trying to run away.” The elder Hyuuga scoffed before shifting his stance. “I can see all your weaknesses, everything you’re trying to hide from here. I can see the way your eyes shift; did you know when people shift their eyes to the left it’s a sign that they are remembering past experiences? And now they’re shifting again to the right, a sign that you’re imagining bad things to come. You already know you’ll lose, so why bother? Your hands are up in front of you, trying to protect yourself from me? You are a pathetic, weak, spineless little girl who can’t even stand up for herself. You’re biting your lip again, that tells me how much you’re worrying, how badly you want to run away from all of this, give it all up. After all, winners are winners and losers are--”

“Shut up!” A voice rang out. “Don’t listen to him, Hinata. You can change. I’ve changed!” Sakura yelled in a hoarse voice as she felt tears leak out of her eyes. “I started out these exams as a different person than I am now. And yes, I’m still the same emotional girl I was before, but look at me! She stood proudly, showing off all her bruises and scars. “I’m strong! And you are too!” 

Neji looked up at her, spite in his eyes. It hit her with a bang, as Sakura realized the gravity of what she had just done. She had just interfered with a match, with some special clan business to top it off. She had announced to the whole crowd what she was feeling, all for some girl she barely knew? But as she watched said girl’s eyes fill with tears and a smile quirk at the edges of her mouth, she knew she didn’t regret it. Not one bit. 

She saw Hinata mouth a “thank you” and felt her own eyes fill with tears again. This girl was like her… adrift, not sure where she fit in with her team or her family. With the weight of the world on her shoulders and everyone telling her she couldn’t do it. It was time someone spoke up. 

At that, she heard another voice echo through the crowd. “Show ‘em what you can do Hinata! Don’t let those dumb boys bring you down! 

Sakura stared in shock at the face of the last person she expected to speak out. Ino stood on another balcony, her eyes wide with tears but her smile full of joy, staring directly at Sakura. She looked almost… proud? Sakura wasn’t sure what it was but the sight of her oldest friend and closest rival looking at her like she was the sun itself nearly made Sakura weak in the knees. 

Neji just clucked his tongue and rolled his eyes. Sakura thought doing that made him look silly. “What is this, girls pep talk hour? Quit your yapping, this is clan business.”

At that, Kiba could no longer restrain himself. “Not just girls!” He yelled, Akamaru barking in solidarity. “Your team is here for ya too! Hina, you’re amazing, ya know that! You’ve been working so hard, and we see it! We’re here _ for _ you, _ with _ you, no matter what. 

Kurenai remained reserved, but a smile was playing out on her face. Shino gripped the railing and was nodding furiously. 

“Yeah, Hinata! You’re really cool, ya know! This guys a total clown, don’t let him make you feel this way!” Sakura turned in surprise to see Naruto join in. He was looking between Hinata and her with a strange expression on his face, and she could have sworn he had tears in his eyes too. 

“That we can agree!” Rock Lee chimed in. “Neji is indeed a Total Clown.” 

Neji turned around at his own teammate and flipped him off. “Stay out of this, dumbass.” he hissed. He turned back to Hinata. “You are from the main family, but you can’t even stand up for yourself? This is pathetic--”

The girl standing next to Rock Lee suddenly burst out laughing, interrupting his grand speech. She slapped her knee and rocked back and forth, giggling “A clown! A clown! I can’t this is too funny…” 

Sakura noticed that his green-clad sensei only stroked his chin seriously, not bothering to quiet down his other teammates. 

Hinata was also giggling at this point, though her eyes were still filled with tears. Neji looked furious, his face drawn into an expression that was absolutely livid. He made eye contact with Sakura, the first person who had spoken up, and gave her an expression that sent chills down her spine. The killing intent coming off this boy was strong, but it was paltry compared to what the snake-person’s had been. So she stood tall, meeting his expression and daring him with one of her own. She yelled “Come on, Hinata, you can do it!” one more time. Several other people echoed her in reply, and she was amused to find that even genin from other villages were joining in. Soon the amphitheater was filled with chants of “Hinata! Hinata! Hinata!” 

Hinata had somehow drawn strength from the support of the crowd. She stood up taller, and spoke clearly. “I’m not going to give up.” Neji then focused all his anger on her, making her feel the full force of his intent. “Good.” was all he said. At that, he rushed her. 

They exchanged a few blows in what Sakura considered a relatively normal round of taijutsu. Certainly nothing like that kid Lee had demonstrated. Hinata even managed to land a few good hits in. Sakura cheered for every blow delivered; it seemed they weren’t as unmatched as Neji had thought. 

From there, things went downhill. 

It started with her coughing. She would cough a little loudly, but still be able to recover from it and parry his next hit. And then, blood would start coming with each cough, splattering the ground beneath her. Sakura stared at the scene in shock, unable to process what was happening. Was Hinata sick? Was Neji taking advantage of an illness she had? She looked to her left to see Naruto in as much confusion as she was. But to her right, Kurenai was nodding her head knowingly. Catching the girl’s stare, Kurenai smiled sympathetically. 

“You’ve never seen the byakugan at work then? You’re in for a rude awakening.” 

Sakura frowned, tugging at the older woman’s dress. She seemed to find this amusing. 

“What is it? What’s he doing to her?”

Kurenai sighed and ran a hand through her hair. “The Gentle Fist is taijutsu technique used by the Hyuuga. They are the only ones able to truly use it, because of the accuracy of their eyes. You know about chakra coils, yes?”

Sakura nodded her head, but Naruto scratched his own beside her. “Hwhat now?”

She almost shushed him, eager to hear an explanation, but then it hit her. How he must feel when she and Sasuke talk about things he can’t comprehend. _He must feel like he’s getting left behind_, Inner realized. _And we don’t want anyone on our team to feel that way, ever again! Naruto, you’ll know what I know. We can help each other grow!_ So Sakura turned around and gave him the quickest explanation she could of the chakra system that ran through every person’s body. How it connected everything together and sustained each organ…

“Wait!” She realized, turning to Kurenai in dismay. “That’s what he’s doing, isn’t it? He’s attacking her internal organs through her chakra coils!”

Kurenai smiled sadly. “You’re a smart one, figuring it out before I told you. Yes, that’s exactly what he’s doing. And it’s going to kill her.” She turned back to the match, where Hinata was reeling from Neji’s latest attack. All he did was poke her arm in several places, but now it seemed she could no longer move it at all. Her left arm hung useless and limp at her side, and her right arm stayed in its defensive position. She was bleeding quite a bit from her mouth and nose, and seemed to crouch inward to protect her torso from any further harm. The girl looked like she was in bad shape. 

Sakura felt a sinking feeling in her stomach. After how hard this girl had worked, it just wasn’t fair. Had she done the wrong thing by encouraging her? Was the girl going to get herself seriously hurt on account of Sakura not being able to keep her mouth shut? 

They exchanged a few more blows and Neji hit her stomach again. She cried out in pain as more blood flew from her lips. She raised her arm against her stomach, trying to stopper an injury that couldn’t even be seen on the surface, but leaving her right side exposed. Neji took advantage of that, and spin-kicked her hard. She fell back a few feet to the floor. He strode over to where she lay, still protecting her stomach, and kicked her hard. “This,” he punctuated each word with a kick, “Is... the difference.”

She rolled around to the other side and groaned in pain. 

He looked on in contempt. “The difference between you and me. The difference between a winner and a loser. This is why you should have forfeit from the start. This is what you should have feared.” He ground his foot against her limp arm. “You. Can’t. Change.”

Hinata rolled over again and got up slowly. 

“Yes, she said “I can.” 

_____________________

Hinata was beaten down, but at the same time, she’d never felt better in her life. She knew Neji, and she knew how to get under his skin. 

“You talk a lot about f-f-fate and d-destiny and things never ch-changing. But in reality, it’s you who’s afraid to change, isn’t it cousin Neji?” 

His eyes narrowed at her and he shifted back into a fighting stance. He had blocked her chakra coils so that she couldn’t attack, rendering her Gentle Fist useless. By all accounts, the fight should be over by now. But it wasn’t. 

“It’s not really me you’re a-angry at, is it?” Hinata continued, clutching her side with the arm that still responded, tears in her eyes already. “It’s the whole m-main house. And you ha-ha-have every right to be angry, I-I kno-know, I know what they’ve done to you. I’ve been there the who-whole time, don’t you remember, c-cousin?” She did remember. She remembered her uncle and the attempted kidnapping and the bargain. She remembered every time Neji had been scolded by her father, pushed past his own limits. “I-I know you b-blame me for what happened when I was a child, but just st-stop to think for one second about _ why _ you’re really angry. You kn-know you’ve been mistreated, and you kn-know I haven’t gotten things ea-ea-easy either!” At this her voice broke. He knew, better than anyone else in that amphitheater, how much her father beat her down. How much the rest of the main-house looked down on her. He used to be her only friend, before he turned against her too. “You pi-pick on me be-because you w-wish, you wish I was someone you could h-hate, but I’m not! We used to be friends, you used to be my b-brother--” her voice broke again and she felt tears streaming down her cheeks. She felt her nose leak too, and cursed the fact that she was an ugly crier. “I kn-know, Neji, deep down you’re a good person. But if you really want t-to ch-ch-challenge, to challenge the main house, don’t go p-picking on the smallest one!” She cried out, hoping he could hear the desperation in her voice. This was the most she’d spoken in years, the most she’d ever said to him since they were children. “I’ve never done a-a-a-anything to you. It’s you that’s a coward, Neji Hyuuga!”

The whole amphitheater was silent. Neji’s eyes were wide. 

Then he rushed at her, roaring in anger. He aimed for her chest, going in for the kill. She saw everything in slow motion, the proctor raising his voice in protest, the other jounin leaping from the balcony to interfere, the fear in the eyes of her fellow rookies. She let him come, arms spread wide, welcoming her brother home. 

He hit her in the heart and she felt it stop. 

She felt her knees hit the ground first, buckling beneath her. Blood was rushing to her head, and Hinata was suddenly coughing red from her mouth. She let herself go. 

_______________________

Sakura watched in horror as Hinata hit the ground. She lay there, still, so still, as the proctor shouted at Neji that he’d already won the match. Neji himself looked stunned, staring at his hands as if they were not his own. Kurenai was already by Hinata’s side, protecting her from any further harm. Gai was restraining Neji, muttering “How could you be so stupid, what have you done…” The proctor stood between them as if he had to restrain Kurenai from lashing out at the boy. Kurenai’s eyes were dark and stormy, her expression grim. Sakura could feel the killing intent from where she stood, flowing in waves from the girl’s sensei. 

“...what have I done.” Neji echoed. Sakura thought she might have been hallucinating as tears filled his eyes. He crumpled to the ground and put his head in his hands. 

A cough sounded throughout the stadium. It was coming from the bloody mess that was Hinata Hyuuga. With another cough, the girl rolled over. Her sensei turned around, eager to help, but she waved her away. Hinata put both hands on the ground and pushed herself to her knees. Then she brought one knee up, and pushed herself up to a standing position. She shifted to a fighting stance then, and looked down at Neji as he let a tear fall. 

“If there’s one thing I know, it’s how to take a b-beating.” Hinata spoke proudly, for the first time in her life. She knew this was true, and she knew for once she would stand tall over her cousin. “I-I’m not done yet.”

She waved away the proctor and leveled a gaze at the two jounin sensei. “Let me have this,” She said. 

Once he was sure Hinata was okay, Gai had relaxed, but Kurenai still seemed uncertain. “I’m not sure I trust either of you to be safe.” she said with finality. “This match is over.”

“No,” Hinata protested, “it isn’t! I-I can still fight.”

“Yes,” Neji said, speaking for the first time since she had got up from the ground, “it is.”

She whirled on him, anger in her eyes. “Did you not listen to a word I was saying! I won’t give up. N-n-not ever.”

“I know,” Neji replied. “You won’t. Which is why I will.” 

He gazed up at the proctor and spoke clearly. “I withdraw from this match.”

Sakura could feel the whole stadium hold its breath. 

And then they cheered. 

________________________

Hinata had basically collapsed after Neji admitted defeat, and was being carried over to the medic wing. Neji had accompanied her throughout her healing, and the word was that the cousins had had a long talk about past, present, and future. Sakura heard from Lee that Neji had emerged from her hospital room with a smile and tear tracks on his face. She herself was heading to the girl’s medic room to check up on her after the match. Currently, two nin she didn’t know were duking it out so she felt comfortable enough to leave for a spell. 

Sakura wandered across the medic ward, nearly being mistaken for a medic herself with her long white coat. Several confused nin were muttering “who gave this whole child a uniform” to themselves. She knew her destination. 

Both she and Naruto had been given the opportunity to visit Sasuke already. Kakashi had done some ritual or another to counteract that strange mark, but Sasuke refused to give her any details. Apparently it was embarrassing. Kakashi appeared rather miffed to have missed the whole Hyuuga fiasco, muttering to himself about how he should have been there, and how Gai and Kurenai would hold it over his head or something. Sakura wasn’t sure her sensei really had his priorities straight. Sasuke had been deemed well enough to return to the matches, so he and Naruto were currently have their daily pissing contest and annoying each other out on the balcony. She had been granted temporary leave by Kakashi, who seemed to understand the look in her eyes. She had someone to see. 

She turned the corner and found herself face-to-face with Kabuto. He smiled at her and inquired as to the wellbeing of her other teammates. _Man that guy creeps me out,_ Inner said in disgust. Sakura replied that they were fine and that she had somewhere to be, and continued down the hallway. But she could have sworn she felt that guy’s eyes on her back the whole time. She was relieved to round the corner and find the room marked: Hyuuga, Hinata. Sakura stepped inside. 

Hinata seemed both surprised and unsurprised to see her. “Hello,” she spoke shyly. 

“Hi.” said Sakura. They both stood for a minute in awkward silence. 

“Thanks for--” 

“I’m sorry for--” 

They spoke at the same time. Hinata just blushed and looked away. “I-I just wanted to say, th-th-thank you. You know. For sp-speaking up. It really g-gave me the c-courage to keep on going when I needed it.” She turned away from the window and smiled at Sakura. “I couldn’t have done it without you.”

Sakura felt her eyes fill with tears for the nth time that day. She rubbed at them in annoyance, muttering “what is it with me and crying today..” under her breath. Then she looked up to see the heiress lit up by the glow of the background sun. She looked breathtakingly regal. 

“I… I wanted to say I’m sorry. I don’t know your limits, and I’m sorry if you felt like I pressured you or pushed you too hard. I didn’t want you to be in a situation where you- where you felt like your life was in danger.” Oh fuck it, the tears were already streaming down her face. 

“I’m sorry!”

“P-please don’t be,” Hinata said, a smile coming to her face. “L-like I said, you really helped.” She ducked her head and blushed. 

“D-d-do, do you want to be, f-friends?” Hinata stuttered, her face red. 

Sakura laughed and wrapped her arms around the other girl. “I would love that.”

______________________

Ino watched from just outside the door as Sakura embraced the other girl. She felt a smile light up her face. For Ino had been wrong; Sakura had changed, she had been through a lot and was a lot stronger for it. But she was still Sakura. She still had the light in her eyes. She still was _ her _ cherry blossom, through and through. 

______________________

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so yeah, a couple things. 
> 
> i made changes. i have reason though I swear! 
> 
> 1) sakura is the one who calls out, not naruto. i think this one is important not just as a sakura-centric story, but as a female-centric story. the women in naruto are almost constantly being told that they're weaker than others and are almost constantly facing harrowing odds. i wanted the girls, ino and sakura, to be able to show some solidarity. also, i wanted the whole crowd to join in, kinda take neji down a peg or two, and make hinata feel REALLY good about herself. 
> 
> 2) hinata is the one who snaps neji out of it, not naruto. another change i really think should have been in the manga, naruto doesn't need to be at the center of every single story, does he? especially when he plain just doesn't belong. so i decided to have neji break out of his whole fatalistic "fate is fate" outlook directly because of hinata. in the manga, its sort of starts out there, and then really comes to forefront when it's naruto's turn to fight neji, because OF COURSE he's the only one who understands the truth. i just can't with kishimoto sometimes. make hinata's story about hinata you silly motherfucker
> 
> 3) ok so maybe some of you noticed it's getting hot in here? could it be? gay shit? i'm undecided because i love both InoSaku and SakuHina, but there's going to be more stuff going on in the future. InoHina maybe? there's another really prominent female character coming up that I also wanna pair Sakura with!! but uhh fear not i'm not stuck on any of these pairing let me know what you guys want to see. i'm hesitant about SasuSaku and NaruSaku (for different reasons) but not completely opposed to it!! if that's what yall want, let me know, cuz i genuinely don't know where to go with these pairings. the only thing i won't consider are adult/child ships... cuz boys? that shit nasty


	5. The Prelims: Part 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> we have some fights, and things get emotional.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> oh lorddd i cannot keep a posting schedule for the life of me! it's just I can't update this sunday b/c i'm hella busy so early update? yay? also it's a two in one since I didn't manage to shorten this chapter enough, and it had to get broken down into two. but yeah! hope you enjoy some more fights, cuz there aren't many friendly ones left!

The amphitheater was full of hushed whispers as the two stepped into the middle. Two teammates, fighting each other? It wasn’t unheard of, but it was certainly rare. Ino sent Shikamaru a smile filled with teeth, and cracked her knuckles. The boy’s expression maintained its perpetual state of boredom, but Ino noticed the telltale swallow, which indicated that her teammate was not looking forward to this confrontation.

Ino and Shikamaru knew each other. There was no surprise in store, no secrets between the two; they were about as evenly matched as could possibly be. Both had clan jutsus at their disposal capable of controlling an enemy’s movements, both lacked focus in their studies, and both were exceptionally capable nonetheless. Shikamaru had the advantage in tactics, as the resident man with a plan, but he lacked the focus and willpower to pull it off. Ino had a more debilitating jutsu, but needed to meet more conditions to activate it. Shikamaru was lazy and Ino had better things to do than train. When it came down to it, they balanced eachother out. 

Sakura watched, enraptured, as the first couple blows were exchanged. Ino was staying long range, away from Shikamaru’s shadows. Shikamaru seemed to be trying to close the distance between them, but he wasn’t doing a very effective job. 

Smoke blew past her and clouded her vision. 

“Shikamaru might win… if he commits himself.” Sakura looked behind her and saw Asuma taking another drag of his cigarette. He looked down at her and winked. 

“Then again… Ino might win… if she takes this seriously.” He said again, sincerely, his tone pondering. He tapped his cigarette to the railing, letting the ashes fall down to the arena below. Sakura turned back to the match. 

“Yeah… she rarely goes all out, and when she does, it’s pretty scary what she can do.”

“Scary is the right word for it.” Someone said to her other side. She turned and realized at some point during their conversation Chouji had approached her. She didn’t know the guy that well; he seemed friendly with Shikamaru, but he rarely talked to anyone else. She’d never exchanged more than a few words with him before. “It’s weird to think it, but I’m the most committed person on this team. And that’s saying something.”

Sakura hummed and returned her attention to the fight. Ino was flipping around the arena, throwing shuriken as she went. She was trying to come at Shikamaru from all sides, probably to throw him off his game. Shikamaru was just dodging them with ease, but not attempting to make any move forward. Occasionally his shadow would lash out, making a grab for Ino’s own, before retreating to the comfort of its master. He ducked and weaved through the onslaught of weapons, keeping a bored expression on his face.

“Is that all you got, Ino?” Shikamaru drawled, resorting to taunt his opponent. 

This seemed to have pissed Ino off more than intended, and she actually stomped her foot.

“For once, Shikamaru, would you do me the kindness of shutting up?”’

He responded by throwing a kunai in her direction. She dodged it, and it hit the wall behind her. Then she summoned three clones and sent them to all four corners of the arena. 

They all continued Ino’s strategy of darting about the area, throwing weapons as they went. Shikamaru seemed to catch on to this, and began to retaliate; he threw more kunai at each of the clones, but they all missed and hit the wall. Chouji shook his head; “She’s just creating more shadows for him to take advantage of. Bad move, Ino.” The fight was beginning to stagnate, yet Sakura could _ feel _ the tension in the air between them. Something was about to happen. 

And something did. One of Ino’s clones was advancing on Shikamaru when it suddenly dispersed. Asuma sighed behind her. “Ahhh. I see what his game plan is.” Sakura looked on, confused. How had Shikamaru done that? He hadn’t even hit her--

Across the arena the real Ino swatted at something in the air. Bugs? Then, without warning, another clone dispersed. And then there were two. Ino snarled, “You dirty cheat.”

“I didn’t cheat, I just used my brain. You should try it sometimes.”

This, of course, made her even madder. “Ugh, you know what Shikamaru? You can be a real pain sometimes! You’re always so full of yourself, so entitled, so sure that you know everything. You’re an ass, Nara Shikamaru.” 

Sakura turned to Asuma for help. “I don’t get it,” she said, “what did he do? What’s wrong?”

Asuma looked down and heaved out a breath. “Take a closer look at the arena. Look for the shadows.” He took another drag of his cigarette. 

Sakura studied the arena. Look for the shadows, what shadows? She knew the Nara jutsu was one used for immobilizing people, and to do so their shadows had to touch. But the only shadows she saw were those belonging to Ino, and they were far out of Shikamaru’s reach. She examined the ground more closely. Maybe a piece of rubble somewhere? She scanned the floor, noticing a thin line running across the tile. It may have been a crack, but it ran all the way to the wall, crossing several tiles but always remaining straight. Come to think of it, it almost seemed like it was connecting…

Suddenly everything hit her. How could she have been so dense? It was obvious! She looked even closer to where the line met the kunai embedded in the wall, and saw the glint of a wire. Shikamaru had been throwing kunai with wire attached, creating his own shadows. As she looked closer, she saw lines all over the floor, trapping Ino and her clone inside. It was checkmate. 

Shikamaru slouched, checking under his fingernails for dirt. He seemed to have known he’d won. “While you were busy bombarding me with shuriken, I set a trap for you. And now you’re stuck. I guess that’s the difference between you and me… I think ahead.”

Ino gritted her teeth, backing into a corner. She put one hand on the kunai, yanking it out of place before making her way to the next one. Her opponent rolled his eyes. “I wouldn’t do that if I were you. Besides, do you really think one kunai is going to change anything?”

Ino placed her hand on another kunai. “Oh Shikamaru. Don’t you ever get tired of being wrong?” She yanked it out of place and suddenly, like a chain reaction, the strings all tightened and surrounded him, immobilizing him in a cocoon of wires. He was completely still, keeping a neutral expression on his face even with the wires biting into his skin. 

Ino smiled, all teeth. “And that, my dear Shika, is your problem. You always, _ always _ underestimate your enemies. Especially when they’re women.” She sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose in exasperation. “But it’s me, Shika, and that’s why it hurts. You’re treating me like you don’t know we’re evenly matched, like you don’t know how strong I am. “I know you get a kick out of calling women ‘troublesome’ or whatever, but it’s really _ demeaning _ and _ hurtful _. Show some respect for you opponent, goddammit! Or I’ll make you!” Ino’s voice was wavering, but she refused to shed a tear even when her eyes gleamed with them. Shikamaru had actually reacted to what she was saying for the first time that battle, his eyes widening and his face turning slack. He seemed genuinely shocked by Ino’s reaction. 

“You just… you make me feel so small sometimes, you know? And I hate it.” Ino finished, her voice lowering to almost a whisper. “If you really respected me you would go all out.”

Shikamaru surprised everyone by speaking. “I… I had no idea you felt that way, Ino.”

She wiped her face, looking somehow even more frustrated. “I know! And it’s not just you. Asuma-sensei, Chouji, even my friends don’t think much of me. It sucks.”

Asuma looked surprised to be called out, and Chouji looked embarrassed. It was true, all of them, Sakura included, didn’t think Ino would have a plan. They knew the match was even, but in the end, didn’t expect much from her. 

Shikamaru twisted in his restraints. Then he said, very simply, but rather loudly; “Men suck sometimes. I’m sorry.”

Ino laughed at that and rubbed her eyes. “Yeah. They do.”

Sakura realized that a shadow was slowly creeping up behind Ino, getting ready to take her. She almost called out, but Chouji put his hands over her mouth and shook his head. She looked on at the match, and watched as the shadow attached itself to Ino, immobilizing her. Shikamaru had let a kunai fall into his bound hand and had used it to saw himself out of the prison. Now they’re positions had been reversed. 

He walked over to the completely still Ino and put a kunai to her neck. “I win.” He said, almost in a whisper. Ino let her head fall down and nodded in defeat. The proctor announced the match over. Then he released the jutsu and put his hand on her shoulder. He looked around awkwardly and cleared his throat. “Let it be known, that I, Nara Shikamaru, greatly respect my opponent, Yamanaka Ino. Enough to go all out on her. And she is worth every inch of that respect.”

Ino looked up at him and smiled. She reached around to give him a hug, which he tried to scramble out of. Sakura heard him mutter “Ugh, let go of me! Stop, stop touching me, hey---hey! Are you tickling me? Ughhh Ino this is so embarrassing!” Chouji and Asuma smiled fondly. And if one or more of them was a little teary eyed, Sakura never mentioned it. 

“And,” Ino continued, “Let it be known that men suck!”

That got a few chuckles and a whoop from the audience. Rock Lee’s female teammate was responsible for that last one. Sakura realized that Asuma had been right both times. Shikamaru _ had _ committed himself, and Ino _ had _ taken the fight seriously. And in a way, they both won. 

________________

Fight after fight passed by, and Sakura’s name had yet to be called. She watched as the contenders fought, some of their faces familiar. There were no standout matches, although it seemed like the high stakes situation was bringing on a lot of emotions. Plenty of the kids started crying at some point or another, worn out from all the stress. Sakura herself was stressed out, annoyed that her name had yet to be called. She picked at her arms, itching and rubbing her skin. Would she break down too, when the time came? She couldn’t count the number of times she had seen people cry that day, and wondered if the psychological trauma was really worth the rank. It seemed cruel and inhumane, as many of them were still children biologically. Everyone was still jittery from the Forest and no one had much time to recuperate. It was a recipe for disaster.

Sasuke’s name got called first. He faced a Grass nin who was twice as big as him, with a massive sword strapped to his back. Sasuke, genius that he was, wasted no time in taking the guy out. He barely even seemed out of breath after his match, looking bored and muttering something about wanting a challenge. The next fight was a Rock-nin against a Suna-nin, and the Rock-nin won. Then, it was Naruto’s turn. He went up against Kiba and Akamaru. And thus ensued the loudest match ever, both boys yelling over each other as to why they “won’t give up!” Kiba had the advantage at first, but Naruto used Akamaru and a henge to turn the tables. When Kiba saw through this trick, Naruto, (I kid you not) farted in his face. Kakashi had hummed beside her and remarked as to how it was “an incredibly well-thought out move”, and “absolutely debilitating”. Sakura wasn’t sure if he was serious or not. Her rowdy blonde teammate ended up winning the match, and he grinned at her so eagerly when they high-fived she just had to give him a hug. He turned beet red at that, and mumbled something about her hair smelling nice. 

After Naruto’s bout, the board pitted Tenten and Temari against each other. Temari was the Suna-nin with a fan she recognized from earlier, with ash-blond hair and skin darkened by the desert. She was always with that creepy redhead with the gourd. Tenten was Rock Lee’s teammate, and Sakura distinctly remembered her making fun of Neji during the Hyuuga battle. She had an arsenal of weapons on her side, all sealed in a giant scroll on her back. It was a close match, but Temari ended up coming on top. It was too bad, for Sakura had been rooting for the Leaf-nin: not just because she was from Konoha, she just seemed like someone Sakura would get along with. But in the end, Temari was the one who advanced. It was a good match, pretty exciting on both sides, but nothing compared to the matchup that would follow. Rock Lee’s name was called, the last amongst his team, and he was opposite that red-haired monster. 

________________

Rock Lee stood opposite Gaara of the Sand, a serious look on his face. Gaara somehow managed to pull off an expression that was halfway through bloodthirsty and bored. Sasuke felt the hairs on the back of his neck rise; the sight of the small red-haired boy was enough to send shivers down anyone's spine. 

They started the match off one-sided. Rock Lee came at his opponent from several different directions, everytime with outstanding speed, but he couldn’t make it past the sand barrier shielding the boy. Then, the teacher that looked like Lee called out from the balcony; “Lee! It’s alright! Take them off!”

Lee protested, yelling something about his “precious people”. But Gai continued to give him a thumbs up and a wink until he relented. Lee bent down and removed his leg warmers, which concealed a set of training-weights underneath. He took them off easily, and rolled his shoulders back with confidence. 

“Alright! Now I can move a little faster!”

It was the understatement of the century. Lee vanished from the top of the statue so fast that no one could keep him in his sights. Sasuke cursed inwardly and turned on his Sharingan, but he looked everywhere and there was no sign… There! From behind! Lee was suddenly behind Gaara, and punched at him so fast that it seemed even his sand had trouble keeping up. He continued attacking him from all sides, until he finally landed a clean kick across the smaller boy’s face. Gaara looked livid, blood dripping from a cut on his face, his cheek slowly bruising. This kid truly knew how to give off a murderous aura. Sasuke had trouble keeping up with the next series of moves even with his Sharingan. Lee was just moving too fast for the human eye! Not to mention, Sasuke still had a horrible headache ever since the Forest, and that made it very hard to focus on the fight. He was still doing his best, watching Lee’s moves with an expression of awe on his face. The boy’s speed was inhuman. 

Then, Gaara pulled out his first trump card. His entire body encased itself in sand, leaving cracks on his skin and holes for his eyes. He had essentially given himself impenetrable armor, something that no taijutsu fighter could hope to break. Or so Sasuke thought. He had not even seen a fraction of Lee’s power that day of the first exams (a day which felt like years ago), and was underestimating him yet again. Lee charged at him, screaming something about a Lotus and a Gate, and kicked Gaara into the air, before torpedoing him down into the ground in a whirlwind of movement. The whole arena was silent. 

Then the sand double’s body crumbled, and Lee turned around in horror to face the real thing. Somehow, Gaara had replaced himself with a sand clone and then positioned himself behind Lee, waiting in ambush. He sent a wave of sand that crushed Rock Lee into the stadium’s walls, leaving an impact crater larger than his own body. Sasuke stood on the balcony, paralyzed. Beside him, Naruto was in a similar state of shock. Kakashi and Gai seemed to be having a heated discussion about something or other, Kakashi angrily gesturing at Rock Lee and hissing “What were you _ thinking _?” under his breath. 

Sakura looked horrified as Lee lay still in the impact crater, and Sasuke wanted to go over and comfort her. But if there was one area the young Uchiha had no expertise in, it was emotional comfort. Gai thankfully beat him to the punch, and put a hand on Sakura’s shoulder. “Don’t worry. The Lotus of Konoha blooms twice.” 

Sasuke turned away from him, not absorbing all the information he was spewing about Gates and such. He was far more focused on the fight, where Lee had finally gotten up from the ground and stood in a fighting position yet again. He screamed, and his skin turned red. The veins on his hands and face stuck out like a Hyuuga, and all the blood seemed to be rushing to his head. He roared, and then came at Gaara once again. Now, Sasuke was truly having trouble focusing on the battle. Lee seemed to be breaking every record, surpassing every limit in the book. He penetrated the sand armor again and again, and hit after hit Gaara began to break down. Then, Gaara pulled out his second trump card. He encased Lee’s arm in sand, and Sasuke heard the snap of a bone breaking. Gaara had _ broken his arm _. But that didn’t stop Lee, he whirled around and attempted another Lotus move, this one actually succeeding in smashing Gaara to the ground. But Gaara just spit blood out of his mouth and encased Lee’s right leg in his sand coffin, and Sasuke heard the telltale snap of another bone breaking. By this point, both opponents were on the floor, spitting blood and glaring at each other. Gaara had the advantage, as he was less wounded, but the boy clearly didn’t have much tolerance for pain. If he wasn’t such an unreadable stoic, Sasuke would have guessed that he was on the verge of tears. Meanwhile Rock Lee was rocking several severe injuries, but had willpower on his side. 

Both Kakashi and Gai seemed about ready to step in when both opponents collapsed. It was hard to see who fell first: Lee was out cold but still standing in a low crouch, meanwhile Gaara was on the floor clutching his head and screaming. He was clearly still conscious but unable to continue the fight. And thus, medics rushed on scene to carry them both away. 

“Man, that was a crazy fight!” Naruto said, half excited, half scared-to-death. 

Sasuke just nodded. He hadn’t really been expecting much in the vein of another brutal fight, after the messy Hyuuga affair. His and Naruto’s battles went respectively well. Naruto faced off against Kiba and won with the power of farting, and Sasuke beat an older Grass-nin with ease. He turned away from the arena as both opponents were delicately carried off the grounds, and started pacing back and forth. He wasn’t sure he could beat either of those guys: Gaara had been crazy strong, and Sasuke didn’t have anything like Lee to break through his defense. Meanwhile Lee was a whole beast on his own, and Sasuke was genuinely a bit afraid of having to face him in battle. Maybe when they announced the next set of contenders, Sasuke could better determine who he would be up against in the finals...

Naruto prodded him from behind, his face looking oddly serious. “The board,” he hissed “look at the board!” Sasuke looked at the names on the board in barely concealed shock. There was no way… that girl from before? 

“Sakura Haruno vs Kin Tsuchi!”

Sasuke should have killed her when he had the chance. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> cliffhanger! nah jk i'm posting two chapters at once so you can find out what happens next right now!! just a couple things 
> 
> 1) i wanted a confrontation between shikamaru and ino where they talk about his weird views on women. i know it's just jokes, but for real, that shit get old. he calls every woman he meets "troublesome" and always talks about how annoying women in particular are. it wouldn't really be an issue if it was people in general he was annoyed by, but there's something in his language that seems to specifically target women and put them down. now i love shikamaru, he's like my fav male character, but everyone has flaws! we all have learned behaviors that we'd be better casting aside. also i just wanted a team ten bonding moment. don't worry, i haven't forgotten about chouji, and he will get his turn!!
> 
> 2) ok. so. big change here. the fight went down pretty much the same, but i feel like in the manga gaara has wayy to high a pain tolerance for someone's who's never even been scratched before. and i really like the idea of one of the matches ending in a tie, so instead of it being ino vs sakura, it's gaara vs rock lee. i always thought that rock lee was the mvp, and i want him to still be known as the one who almost took down a jinchuriki on the merit of hard work


	6. The Prelims: Part 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> we finish up the chunin exams an head into the next era. sakura makes another friend.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> double!! update!! yay!!! 
> 
> so this is the conclusion to the chunin exams, and the conclusion to this part 1 of the story in general. i have six parts mapped out, and we're going right into konoha crush stuff next, with tons of canon divergence. so, enjoy the fuzzies while you can!

Her name was on the board. Her name was on the board, opposite the person she’d least expected to see again. Why was she still there, anyway? She could have sworn they had scared the girl right out of the Forest. She assumed she was halfway back to her snake-master by then. What was his name? Goddamit, thought Inner in frustration. I remember everything, why can’t I remember his name? Give me a break, Sakura replied. It was a high-stress situation, and Bandages only said the name once. 

“Sakura Haruno vs Kin Tsuchi!”

So that was the girl’s name, Sakura thought to herself. For a second, looking into that girl’s eyes, Sakura felt like she was back in the Forest. She felt dirty and helpless and alone. The memory came back so viscerally that she had trouble catching her breath for a moment, and felt her heart rate speed up. Should she sit this one out?

No. The girl was walking down towards the arena, an expression of resignation on her face. Sakura wouldn’t be the one to back down first. She took a step forward, ready for the challenge, when a hand gripped her arm. It was Sasuke, looking down on her with a hostile expression on his face. “You should forfeit,” he said, a low growl building in his throat. “Just sit this one out.”

At first, Sakura was flattered that Sasuke cared so much about her. She felt a blush rise to her face at the thought of the boy she liked being so protective. But then she remembered. The Forest. The Snake. The Fight. He hadn’t been around to help her then, he hadn’t been around to take care of her then. She’d had to take care of herself. And he wasn’t always going to be there anymore, a shield for her to hide behind. It was high time she became her own shield. Besides, Sakura entered this exam wanting to accomplish something, wanting to find something to be proud of. There was no way she was going to forfeit here! Not after all she’d been through! Not after seeing Hinata fight so hard, and so brave, against all odds. She wasn’t going to be the one to back down any more. 

And besides, who was Sasuke anyway, to tell her what to do like that. She yanked her forearm out of his grasp and stared up at him with hard eyes, all traces of blush gone from her cheeks. “If I told you that, would you give up?” He looked at her with surprise in his face. “Well, no, but that’s not the same thi-”

“Then don’t tell me what to do either! I’m not some doll for you to protect, and I can make my own decisions!”

They stared at each other for a moment in tense silence. And then Naruto did what he did best: diffuse the situation. “Hey guys, what’s the big deal, huh? Sakura can do what she wants, I believe in her! Ain’t nobody on Team Seven that’s gonna back down today!”

Sakura smiled at him. “Thank you, Naruto.” Then she turned to her other teammate. “And… and thank you Sasuke. For caring.” With that, she left them both behind in the stands.

They both got in the ring. The girl, Kin, looked up at her with big doe eyes and a frown on her face. Sakura was almost inclined to feel sorry for her, she just seemed so… sad. But then she remembered how the snake-person had peeled off the outer layer of his face, his snake eyes hiding underneath. She remembered that, however unambiguous this woman looked, she was still working for Them. And there was every possibility that this girl was going to peel off her face as well. 

Oh that’s right… Orochimaru. His name was Orochimaru. 

Sakura shifted into a battle stance and got ready to fight.

____________________

The first thing Kin noticed were the bruises on the other girl’s neck. Her throat was lined with a ring of purple and blue blotches, which stood out harshly against her light brown skin. Zaku… had done that to a girl that wasn’t even her age. Zaku, who was well into his twenties, had done that to a child. Kin herself was fourteen, but at that age she felt oh-so-much older than a mere twelve-year-old. Fourteen was an adult, but twelve… twelve was a child. And yet Dosu, a man that Kin had been sure was reaching his thirties, was killed by a brat that wasn’t even half his age. Kin knew, objectively, that all ninjas were adults by law, regardless of age. But something felt wrong in testing little kids to the brink of death, all in the name of reaching rank. 

The girl, Sakura, must have noticed she was staring at her neck. She spoke first: “What, does it bother you? Knowing what your teammate did to me? Well, you better get over it, because I’m gonna deal ten times the pain to you!” The girl was clearly posturing, which Kin may have found amusing in another situation. Still, there was only one reason she had stepped into the ring that day, and she was going to fulfill her duty. 

“I’d like to forfeit.” Kin said it simply and politely, hoping her voice would carry to the proctor. The audience murmured in confusion. 

“What?!” cried Sakura, clearly as confused as the rest. “What would you do that for?”

Kin replied as coolly as she could “I… I know what you did in the forest. You deserve,” at this she took a breath, “You deserve to pass these exams.” She took in the silence of the stadium. It was, quite frankly, unheard of. To have another contender give up their spot like that, for someone of an opposing village, nonetheless. But… but Kin had already seen two people die for Orochimaru, and she didn’t want to join them in their early graves. She wasn’t scared of this girl, not by any means, but she didn’t particularly want to do the snake’s bidding anyway. Maybe this, her one small act of rebellion would be enough to spare her from damnation. She couldn’t do anything for Konoha, but by the goddess she would let this girl live. Kin refused to look behind her, where Orochimaru’s snake eyes would be watching her with curiosity. She knew she was incurring punishment, but for some reason she felt braver today. Please, she prayed, let this be my one rebellion. I may have the blood of Konoha on my hands, but I won’t have hers. Sakura studied Kin’s eyes, and didn’t seem to like what she saw in them. 

“I don’t need your pity,” she hissed. “If you respect me at all, you’ll fight me. And you won’t hold back. I’m sick of everyone treating me like I’ll break!” The look in that girl’s eyes…

Usually Orochimaru had them doing escort or raid missions, against adults who were twice her size. It never felt bad to take _ them _ down. She had been trained to fight other trained mercenaries, the kind of people who probably deserved what was coming to them anyway. But that didn’t matter. She really shouldn’t be crumbling under the weight of a little girl’s gaze. She had been through a lot, done a lot to survive, and she wasn’t about to throw it all away for a girl that didn’t care. But those eyes…

She wasn’t raised alone. There were a lot of people who were dragged in and out of the house she grew up in. Many children were fostered there, most of whom she’d lost track of. Sometimes she’d wonder what became of them. One in particular. 

Kenji. His name was Kenji. He had brown hair and skin, but the greenest, green eyes. And they would fill with tears whenever anyone told him to pick up a weapon. He would cry when they’d hunt rabbits in the woods, no matter how many times Kin had explained to him that they needed to eat. He wanted to cradle the rabbits, to hold them and pet them and take care of them. When the younger children came in, he would take care of them too. Kenji was fit for the life of a pampered prince, but was instead born into a family of poor swords for hire. The other kids gave him a nickname: they called him “Prince Kenji”, just like they used to call her “Crybaby Kin.” She hated her nickname, but he found his amusing. 

One day she came home to her Father standing over Kenji with blood on his hands. They had a fight, she would hear later. Kenji had refused to work, and all the kids knew that working was the only reason they were kept around, moral objections aside. He had slashed Kenji’s face to bits, making him nearly unrecognizable. She would never see those green eyes ever again. He left the next day, deemed too useless to keep around. She tried to follow him, but he lowered his bandaged forehead to hers and wiped away her tears. “Take care of the others for me,” he said. Then he opened the only eye he had left, and it was fierce in a way she’d never seen it before. “And take care of yourself. We won’t be meeting again.” Then he left, taking only the clothes on his back and the scars on his face. She never saw him again.

Stuck in her reverie, Kin had barely noticed that a moment had passed without her giving a response. Her words stuck in her throat. Did she respect this girl? Yes, she respected the strong look in her eyes, the look that couldn’t be beaten out. But she was already putting herself out on a limb here, for someone she barely knew. Was Sakura underestimating her? Did she really think that, just because Kin had done nothing in the Forest, she was incapable of doing any more? Did this girl respect _ her _ ? Judging by the slight trembling of her legs, she was no doubt scared of her. But her green eyes remained so fierce. Kin suddenly felt anger surge through her bones. This girl clearly didn’t understand what had been given to her. What Kin had sacrificed, what she had risked? She was trying to do the right thing for once, but was about to incur the wrath of Orochimaru for someone she barely knew? Suddenly, Kin’s whole world shifted. This girl, this _ stupid _ , silly, _ arrogant _ girl really had the gall to turn her offer back in her face? And for what, her pride? Kin played with the senbon in her fingers. She had no idea what was coming to her, what was coming to her village. Rage thrummed beneath Kin’s skin, barely contained. Screw this, it was a stupid idea in the first place. I’m under the snake’s thumb and I’ll always be, no use fighting against it now. I’ll show this girl what real pain looks like. 

“Fine. Let’s do this. But know now, that I won’t hold back.” Kin shifted into a fighting stance confidently. 

The proctor stared between the two of them, half confused and half exasperated. “Are you two done posturing, then? Can we get started?” Kin’s only response was a glare. 

The proctor held up one hand. “Ready, and, Fight!”

Kin immediately threw a wave of senbon at Sakura. The smaller girl dodged out of the way of most of them, but was caught in the shoulder. She was lucky that it hadn’t it the pressure point Kin had been aiming for, otherwise she would have lost the use of her left arm. Sakura was smart, so she had probably realized that to win, she needed to get Kin close range. She was a mid-range fighter not suited for close-combat after all. Determined to maintain her distance, Kin tossed another round of senbon at the girl. Sakura deflected most of the next wave with a kunai, but two still caught her in the knee. The younger kunoichi was clearly not that used to blocking attacks. How had she even made it this far with skills so rusty? Kin felt her anger deep in her bones, all the anger she had against her Father, against Kenji for leaving her, against Orochimaru and against the Sound. She directed it all at this girl. She was determined to make Sakura Haruno her own personal pincushion. 

Another wave of senbon and Sakura had yet to attack. Clearly she didn’t trust her aim well enough to throw volleys like Kin. She had just used her kunai for blocking, and had thrown some shuriken to no avail. Kin used her bells to create several clones, and continued to throw senbon at her from three different directions. There was no way she could dodge all of these! Sakura stayed low to the ground, rolling out of the way, but nevertheless had quite a few more senbon sticking out of her than before. Kin threw two senbon, one with a bell and one without, from two different directions. Sakura heard the bell, and deflected that one, but the other caught her in the stomach. A perfect hit. Sakura cried out and fell to her knees, one arm clutching her stomach. That was no Hyuuga Gentle Fist, but it was sure to cause a whole lot of pain. Kin knew pressure points just about as well as any Hyuuga, and could pick them out at will, only with a whole lot less accuracy. Sakura let two more shuriken slip into her hands, and threw them at Kin from her position on the floor. They were easily dodged, hitting the wall behind her. Then, the girl did something truly stupid. She created a clone of herself. In broad daylight. No cover, no smokescreen. What the hell was the point of a clone when you knew which one was fake? Sakura and her clone both stood up shakily, and made a hand-sign. Then, suddenly, two shuriken clattered to the floor where they had once stood, and both were gone. Kawarimi…?

A hand came out of nowhere behind her and aimed a punch at her side. Upon contact, Kin realized this girl was surprisingly strong. She didn’t hold back on her punches, anyway. She whirled around but another hand came out of nowhere to follow its friend, and hit her in the jaw. This one hit even harder. She spun around and found herself face-to-face with two Sakuras, both of whom were engaging her in close range combat. That couldn’t be, Kawarimi didn’t take a lot of chakra, but it did need a fair amount of control, and to replace not only yourself and a clone with two shuriken must take an incredibly precise shinobi. Not only that, she was seemingly switching herself and her clone periodically with Kawarimi, making it even harder to tell which one was the real one. That kind of application was rarely used for a reason. Shit, shit, shit. Kin’s head was spinning a bit trying to keep up with the fight. She had known she wasn’t good hand to hand, but she really couldn’t last against two people. She needed to find some way to hit both of them hard, at the same time. Otherwise, she was out of the fight. 

_______________

Sakura was trying desperately to play down how tired she felt. There were senbon sticking out of her, her joints and muscles ached, her stomach still felt like someone was wringing out her internal organs and her old wounds were starting to hurt. 

She and her clone both kicked Kin at the same time. Then, she did something unexpected. The older girl jumped forward and landed on her hands. In the fraction of a second, she flipped upside down and spun kick in a wide arc, hitting both Sakura and her clone, hard. Her clone seemed to have sustained too much damage, and dispersed immediately, leaving Sakura to take the brunt of the kick alone. She fell back to the floor, clutching her bruised abdomen. Then Kin jumped back, throwing a wave of senbon behind her. The bells attached to the senbon began to ring hauntingly. 

Sakura felt dizzy and off-balance. All around her she saw visions of her opponent, encircling her. There were too many clones to count, and they all blended together. She had no idea which one was real. Suddenly, senbon come from all sides. She isn’t fast enough to deflect them, and many strike her pressure points. Everything hurts, so, so bad. Her vision is fading in pain.

When Kin speaks, she sounds like she has a thousand voices. They’re distorted, a cacophony that sends chills down Sakura’s spine. She says, simply: “Give up.”

Another wave of senbon, and Sakura tries to roll out of the way. Rolling just made everything worse; she can feel the senbon digging deeper into her skin, and her nausea is starting to act up. 

“This is what happens when you defy the natural order. I should never have taken pity on you. It was foolish of me, to see your continued preservation as my salvation. You can’t help me. You can’t do anything for me.” 

Sakura had no idea what she was talking about. Her salvation? What did that mean? She gripped her abdomen in pain, gritting her teeth. But it wasn’t enough to keep the blood in, and she spat out red. Her teeth must have become stained with the stuff. Sakura grimaced through her blood stained teeth. 

“What… the hell… do you want from me? Huh? Because I can’t help you.” She spat out more blood. “But neither can He. You have to help yourself.” She was losing strength. She had to find a way… to hit all the clones… at once. But that was impossible. She fell to her knees and stared at the cracks on the ground, a far away look in her eye. The tiles of the floor were stained with her blood, and with the couple senbon she had plucked out of her skin. There was a crack running through the tile directly beneath her, and it almost looked like a lightning bolt.

Kin called out to the proctor. “I think this match is over. Look at her: she’s down.” The proctor started to move closer, scratching his neck in boredom. Sakura stared at the ground. Her eyes were distant. 

“Channaro!” she screamed, pouring all of her chakra into her hands. It was half instinct, plus a bit of a half-baked plan, but it worked as she felt the tile come loose under her fingers. She ripped the stone tile from the floor and swung it around in an arc. She screamed as the massive tile came into contact with every single one of the mirages, and then hit Kin in the chest. She flew into the wall behind her and passed out cold. Sakura held the tile up above her head, panting, blood dripping from the corner of her mouth, triumphant. She screamed again, just out of feral pride and pleasure, before throwing the tile to the ground. She met Sasuke’s eyes in the crowd, and smiled. Then, for the second time that day, she passed out. 

_______________

It was safe to say Kakashi was more than a little worried about his female student. What the hell was all that business with the floor tile? Was she naturally strong? Had she somehow discovered chakra-enhanced strength, at her age? Was he dealing with a mini-Tsunade? None of these options sounded like fun to Kakashi. He sighed, trying to remember the days when Sakura was the least worrisome member of Team Seven.

He could tell Sasuke was in shock and Naruto was gloating, but really, none of them saw her quite the way Kakashi saw her that day. He was going to need to step up his game, or his female student may be the first to leave him behind in the dust. 

_________________

Kin and Sakura were placed in adjoining hospital rooms. Kin took advantage of this, and as soon as she was able to stand, walked over to Sakura’s bed. Sakura was awake already, staring out the windowsill. She had several bouquets of flowers by her beside, the petals practically littering her bedsheets. No one had left Kin any flowers. 

Kin cleared her throat, shifting from her crutches to place weight on her other side. Sakura turned her dreamy stare to Kin’s brown eyes, and furrowed her brow. She looked both surprised and unsurprised to see Kin standing in front of her. 

“H-ahem. Hello. I’m Kin.”

“I know,” Sakura said, turning back to the window. “We’ve met.”

Kin shifted her weight to her other side, clearly uncomfortable. “I just… I just wanted to say-- what you did in the Forest was really brave. And stupid. But brave. And kind of cool, too? I mean I didn’t like Dosu much, he hit me when he had the chance, and I never thought someone of your size could… Anyway, I guess me saying sorry doesn’t mean much to you, you know, after everything, but I wanted to say it anyway. I’m sorry. Hell, I don’t even know why this is affecting me this much,” Kin turned her face away and wiped her nose before she started to tear up. “You just… remind me a lot of someone. And I guess I’ve kind of been in a precarious position for a while, and you helped me see what I needed to see. Kinda like, what was it… the straw camel? The camel that broke the straw? The--”

“The straw that broke the camel’s back.” Sakura said, smiling. “It’s an old Suna saying.”

“Right,” Kin muttered, scratching the back of her neck in embarrassment. “Anyway… I was… angry at you before. So, so angry. You just-- you just became everything that I hated about the world for a second, and I took it out on you. And I’m sorry. I needed… I needed to say that.”

Sakura looked at her, an unreadable expression on her face. “I… I hit you in the head. With a massive stone. I think I should be the one apologizing here.”

Kin smiled, her shoulders slumping in relief. “How about this,” Sakura continued. “No more apologizing. You seem like a good person. So...” she held out her hand hesitantly, “...friends?”

Kin shook it readily, relief settling on her features. She gestured to the bed; “Can I sit?” 

“Of course,” Sakura said, shifting over to make room. And so, the two girls, despite not having much in common, somehow found things to talk about over the next hour. Eventually, Kin stopped their conversation with a pensive look on her face. 

“Ahem… Uh, what type are you?” Kin said, turning to face Sakura fully. 

Sakura looked confused. “Huh?”

“I mean,” Kin gestured around, wordlessly trying to clarify. “What type of chakra do you have?”

Sakura still looked confused for a moment, but then realization settled in on her features. She laughed. “I have no goddamn clue. My teacher is incomptent.”

“I’m a wind and water type.” Kin said excitedly. 

“....ok.”

“I know some jutsus,” she continued. 

Sakura just stared at her, looking confused again.

“I thought--- to pay you back-- for what you did in the Forest? I… I’m not sure I would be alive without you. Your friend back there is scary.” Kin said, rambling, and uncomfortably aware of her newfound awkwardness. 

Sakura laughed. “Yeah, he can be. Listen, you don’t owe me anything. I only did what I thought was ri--”

Kin interrupted her; “Just… let me? Show you? You fought good today, but… I almost got you. If your teacher sucks, you could stand to have a new one, right?” She finished with a shaky smile. 

Sakura grinned. “Thanks. But maybe some other time. We’re both in hospital gowns right now, after all.”

_________________

Sakura stared in horror as the girl she just met raised a kunai to her own throat. Where had she even gotten that? Then she swept up her hair into a fist, and placed the kunai at the end of it. Sakura breathed a sigh of relief. 

“I thought we could match? You know, an eye for an eye?”

This girl really was crazy. She was reaching Naruto-levels of unnecessary dramatics. Sakura smiled and rolled her eyes at the thought of her blond teammate, and then reached forward to pluck the kunai out of her other friend’s hands. 

“Keep it long. I like it long”

Kin stared back at her, wide-eyed, as tears filled her brown eyes. This girl really is dramatic, Sakura thought. At the first sign of a decent human being inhabiting her presence, she starts crying? Nevertheless, Sakura plowed on. 

“Keep it long for both of us.” Kin didn’t speak, just nodding and rubbing furiously at her eyes. But she didn’t need to. All had already been said. 

  
  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ok just so yall know i won't be updating again on sunday, you'll have to wait for a while until the next update. but i swear i'll try to be more regular with this stuff in the future! and i generally release things as soon as they're done, so if i end up having tons of time next week i might release another chapter early. who knows! we'll see. 
> 
> 1) ok. so. fellas. here's how this story came about. imma be really transparent with yall and just lay it out. i thought, hey, what if sai joined sakura right after naruto left and they formed a new team seven? but? we need a third member? who will that be, well, you'll see, if you haven't already guessed. but i promised a team with more than one girl on it, and on that i will deliver! 
> 
> 2)let me know how you felt about sakura's fight!! i love to hear what you guys think. and let me know how you feel about kin? she's a dramatic bitch but i love her. but hbu? do you like her? not like her? too emotional? drop a comment! 
> 
> 3) i'm really funky on sasuke's characterization, and so i'm writing him a bit softer than he was in the manga. why? because he's 12 and he's baby. also fuck you kishimoto let your characters feel emotions without beating them down for it! anyway, if anyone has any tips of writing sasuke i'd love to hear them!


	7. Preparations

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> everyone holds their breath for the coming fight

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> oh my god I'm soooooo sorry this is late! I got really sick this week, and that's why I'm having to post a shorter chapter. I think i'll update again sooner, give you guys some more content, but for now this is all I can churn out in my feverish state. just know that it is for no lack of passion in this fic, and no lack of gratitude towards everyone reading this. thank you to all my lovely reviewers, each and every one of you means so much to me!! thank you all, hope to see you next weekend or even sooner!

The last blows had been exchanged, the last match won. The examiners sent everyone home for the day, with a list of the assigned matches and a month to prepare. Sakura studied her own paper in earnest, imagining how the matches would play out. Sasuke vs Shino was interesting, although Sakura was fairly sure that Sasuke had it in the bag. After all, she didn’t know much about Shino’s abilities, but Sasuke wasn’t called the number one rookie for nothing. Hinata was up against Naruto, and as much as she loved her loud-mouthed teammate, she had a feeling the Hyuuga held the advantage. After all, taijutsu of her caliber could easily dispel Naruto’s clones. Sakura was interested to see what became of Temari vs Shikamaru and was tempted to ask Asuma what training regiment he would be putting his student through to prepare. She was paired up against Ino, which seemed ever so fitting. Somehow, Ino had managed to argue her way into the finals. It had seemed that the tie between Gaara and Rock Lee had left both opponents indisposed and unable to continue the fight, so they were missing a candidate. Ino had already been disqualified for the official exams, but she was being recommissioned to “test Sakura’s caliber”. However the decision had been made, Sakura was sure the Yamanaka heiress held more sway over the council than she realized. 

Sakura looked up from her paper to observe her teammates’ reaction to the news. Naruto looked excited as always, but Sasuke seemed a little pale. Although, he hadn’t really been himself since the Forest, so his pallid complexion may have been coincidental. He looked up to catch her eye, and scowled at the worried expression on her face. Before she could even open her mouth, he was gone. Sakura turned to Naruto, who seemed to be unaware of the leftover tension. He was squinted over his own paper, carefully mouthing out each name. Sakura recalled that he had trouble reading, that sometimes the letters would get scrambled in his brain. She proudly ruffled his hair in the midst of his deep concentration, and he glanced up at her and gave her a toothy grin. She returned his grin; “You alright? Need me to read you the fine print?” 

“Nah, I’m good. Thanks, though, Sakura-chan!”

She parted ways with him after a quick goodbye hug, and made her way out of the building. They escorted them back through the Forest of Death, and soon reached the village gates. Sakura felt tired all the way down to her bones, but caught sight of a worried Hyuuga and made up her mind. She approached Hinata and tapped her on the shoulder. 

“Wanna walk home together?”

Hinata smiled. “I would love that,” she said. 

Sakura had to admit, she only knew the general direction of the Hyuuga compound and not its exact location, so she let Hinata lead. The two girls walked mostly in silence; the evening blanketing them in a warm sunset. When they did talk, it was about school mostly, and both were happy to relieve the memories of their academy days. When they finally reached the gates of Hyuuga compound, the sun had almost completely gone down. Sakura made Hinata promise that they would train together in the coming weeks; the girls wrapped their pinkies around each other and swore on it. They both giggled at the silliness and nostalgia of such a childish act, and then carefully separated their intertwined fingers. Sakura waved goodbye, and headed in the direction of her house. The girl didn’t turn back, but if she had she would have seen that Hinata stood in front of the gate, watching her back long after it had faded into the night. 

________________

Sakura had immediately collapsed on her bed the previous night, much to the chagrin of her worried parents, and woke up in the same borrowed clothes as the day before. She felt all kinds of sore, but her craving for breakfast and a shower soon outbid her exhaustion. She carefully folded up the borrowed clothes and put them in a neat pile on her bed. Then, she practically vaulted into the bathtub in excitement. She made the water as hot as it would go, and carefully picked out a particularly pink mixture for her bubble bath. Sakura thought she deserved it. She used her favorite shampoo and body wash which left her hair and skin smelling like cherries and roses. After a luxurious bath in which she scrubbed her skin raw and pink, noting the scabs she had picked the day before, Sakura emerged from the bathroom with a fluffy towel wrapping her hair and another around her body. She flopped on her bed, stomach growling, and was so overcome with fatigue that she promptly fell asleep. 

She woke up to her mother’s hesitant knocking. “Sakura? Sakura, darling, breakfast is ready downstairs. And your father and I want to talk to you.”

“Coming, mom,” Sakura replied.

She sluggishly slumped to the floor, regretting having slept on her bed while she was still wet from a shower. She finished drying her hair and set to put on some clothes, but… her clothes were ruined. She didn’t want to have to wear that tattered dress again: it would bring back too many memories. She dug through her closet, filled with pretty dresses of all colors and styles, all with the Haruno symbol on the back. In the very back of the closet, Sakura found a red tunic-shirt with a signature white crest on the back. It was a little big for her, but she felt very mature in it. She paired it with her everyday black spandex, and tied the tunic with a black belt. She rummaged through her bag, looking for her headband, and discovered something strange. A scroll, with her name on it. Sakura unrolled it and found a detailed description of a water prison jutsu. She remembered it from her encounter with Zabuza, although this one seemed to be a different style. The scroll seemed old, as if it had been passed down for a long time. Sakura smiled. Sakura knew exactly who it was from; on second thought, maybe she would be doing some training today. She quickly grabbed her headband and strapped her kunai holster to her thigh, putting on her shoes and running downstairs to grab breakfast on the go. Her parent’s talk would have to wait. 

________________

Kin ran desperately to the Hokage Tower. She had considered stealth, but broad daylight would make it harder for an assassination. Besides, she wanted to cause a stir. She bumped into pedestrians and shopkeepers that were just setting up their wares in the earliness of dawn. Kin had spent the night on the run, hoping to hide her presence from Orochimaru, and now she was throwing it all away. It’s the safest thing to do, she assured herself. 

That’s not the only thing I’m throwing away, she thought with a grimace. But no, this was the right thing to do, this is what needed to be done. If her life had any purpose at all, it would be this. She finally arrived in front of the Hokage Tower, and took a moment to catch her breath. She didn’t have a second to loose, but her head was spinning and all the breath felt like it had been knocked out of her lungs. She stared up at the tall Tower, and made one final decision. With a deft hand, she whipped a kunai out of her holster and slashed through the sound marking on her headband.

After arguing with the secretary at the desk for ten minutes, Kin realized the futility of the endeavor. So, instead of asking to see the Hokage, she would just do it. She henged herself into an unsuspecting Leaf nin. Kin casually walked past the guards and found herself in a maze of rooms and stairs with no signs pointing to where she should go. Ambling her way up the stairs, she passed a few guards and casually saluted. 

“Hey, uh, it’s my first day on the job. I need to deliver some documents to the Hokage, can you point me in the direction of where I should go?”

“Sure, buddy” one of the guards said, snickering. “Just up the stairs and to the right.”

She nodded her thanks. Just as she was feeling proud of having made it that far, both of her arms were grabbed and she was hauled backwards.

“Seriously? Where’s the Hokage, it’s my first day? That’s the most pitiful assassination attempt I’ve seen in a while.” One guard said, while cuffing her hands behind her back. 

“Wait!” Kin cried. “I wasn’t trying to kill-- I have important information that could save the village!” The guards just scoffed and said “Save it for T&I, kid.” They dragged her through the lobby and into an adjacent building. She was gagged, so no amount of screaming could make them listen to her. They took her down to the underground level of the building, where there were rows and rows of cells and unmarked rooms. She was seated in a confined waiting room, and bound to her chair. 

She waited for hours. Eventually, a female guard came and removed her gag and handcuffs. She gripped Kin’s arm and hissed, “You’re coming with me,” in her ear. She was gagged again, and dragged down another floor to a cold hallway. A tall man passed her, with scars all over his face and head. He was accompanied by a few other guards, and she recognized him from the first exam. She managed to loosen her gag enough to cry out to him; “Proctor! Please! The Sound and Sand are working together to destroy the Leaf! I swear it’s true, I used to work for Or--” The female guard whirled around and tightened her gag so that it dug into her mouth. “Sorry, sir. Ibiki, sir. This one’s a lunatic, just the ravings of a crazed conspiracist.” Ibiki nodded, expression unreadable. The guard saluted, and cuffed Kin on the head. The guard stopped when they reached a small door on the right side of an empty corridor. She was shoved in, and without the use of her hands fell flat on her face. She looked up to see the guard standing above her. Kin looked around, finding herself in a cleaning closet, and realized she was on top of some kind of seal. Before she could properly get her bearings, the room melted around her and was replaced by a cold stone dungeon. 

“...genjutsu?” Kin murmured out loud. 

“Actually, it’s a transportation jutsu,” a voice said behind her. She turned around to see the female guard’s face melting, just like the room did, only she recognized the one beneath: skin so pale, eyes like a snake, tongue flickering in and out of a grinning mouth. “Welcome home, Kin Tsuchi. This_ is _ your home now, after all. You’ll be here from now till the day you die.”

“Orochimaru.” 

“Yes.” He said, dragging out the last consonant in a snake-like fashion. “Your master. Your kage. The one you tried to betray.” He laughed throatily. “I must admit, I did see this coming after your little stunt at the arena. But I never thought you’d go this far. How very_ noble _ of you.” 

Kin just stared at the ground absently. She had seen this coming. She knew this would happen. It was foolish to think she could actually make them listen. She bowed her head to the floor and glared at him through her hair. “You don’t know me. You never did.”

Orochimaru just smiled. “Oh, believe me Ms. Tsuchi, we are going to get to know each other _ very _ well in the next month. You’re going to be my plaything.” He removed a syringe from his belt. “And then,” he said, flicking it a couple times, “once one month is up, I’ll use your corpse to summon my kages.” He stabbed the syringe into her thigh. “I believe we’re going to enjoy our time together,” he said. Kin felt her eyes roll up and saw nothing but black.

________________

Sakura got up from the ground, fists clenching in the grass. It had been more than two weeks of training with Team Gai, yet she was still so far behind. Every bout with Lee left her utterly exhausted; every snide comment from Neji hurt just as much. She did think her taijutsu had improved quite a lot, but she still felt so far behind everyone else. Sometimes she wondered what would have happened if she’d been subjected to intensive training on a regular basis, and not just for this special month. Could she have become like Rock Lee, had she had someone like Gai to hone her skills? Kakashi was certainly talented, but he wasn’t there for her, not really. _No matter_, thought Inner resolutely. _I’m going to become a great shinobi on my own!_

She exited the training ground and made her way to the meeting spot. As she walked, she took a moment to smell the forest around her; the fresh scent of growth, and feel the soreness of her body. It was the good kind of soreness, the kind that came with hard training and self-motivation. She was growing too, just like the trees and plants around her. And one day, she would be as beautiful as they were. 

Sakura was so enraptured in her thinking that she barely noticed when she nearly bumped into someone. “S-sakura-chan?” said a soft, hesitant voice. 

Sakura beamed. “Hello, Hinata! Sorry, didn’t see you there!” Hinata blushed shyly and murmured an apology. “Oh, you shouldn’t apologize! Remember what we talked about-- people should not have to apologize for their presence!” At this, the girl blushed further. “R-r-right. Sorry a-a-about that. It’s just so...” Sakura nodded her head. This girl reminded her so much of herself when she was younger. But then, she had Ino. Sakura was determined to be the Ino this time. “It’s okay! Just know that you’re allowed to exist, and don’t ever let anyone make you feel ashamed about that! If they do, beat them up! Or, I’ll beat them up! Whichever!” Hinata giggled softly and blushed again. 

“S-so, how was your t-training?” Hinata asked.

“Great! I mean, it was awful, don’t get me wrong. I still suck, and Lee beats me to the ground every time and then asks me out right after. The guy really doesn’t know anything about timing. And then Neji makes a rude comment, and oh, how I wish I could punch his face in! I know he’s better now and all, but honestly, Hinata, he can still be such a jerk! It’s like, instead of climbing off his high horse, he’s just dangling off of it, one leg still on. He treats you with such revelry now, but man is he a dick to Lee. At least Tenten knows how to put him in his place. Ah, man, she offered to give me some weapons training and help me work on my aim, and it’s been so awesome! She’s seriously the best teacher, like, ever. Way better than Kakashi and Gai anyway. She’s patient and nice and feels like a big sister to me! But man, does she work me to the bone. I swear, no one on that team slacks off, ever! It’s like…” Sakura continued rambling on, and Hinata listened patiently, smiling and nodding along in all the right places. The two girls had become quite close in the past weeks, meeting up after training to spar together or sometimes just talk. Sakura enjoyed having someone to confide in, and Hinata enjoyed not having to carry the conversation. 

Both were worried about their respective matches. Despite Sakura’s confidence in Hinata’s taijutsu prowess, Hinata still found it hard to imagine her winning against anyone, much less her childhood idol. Sakura was worried about her match too, but for different reasons. There was so much unresolved tension between her and Ino, so much left unsaid. Sakura wasn’t sure what feelings would come out during their match, but she was sure it wouldn’t be pretty. 

Noting the arrival of dusk, Sakura initiated a spar. Hinata was a great teacher, patient and encouraging, and she corrected Sakura’s form with a kindness that her elder cousin did not possess. They ran through katas together, and Sakura noticed her form and flexibility improving each day. She inherently had a stiffness to her, and Hinata helped her loosen up and be more graceful. Soon, an hour passed, then two. The two girls eventually had to bade farewell and head their separate ways home. Hinata turned around to leave, but Sakura ran after her and caught her arm. 

“Wait! I forgot! I have something to show you!” Sakura lead Hinata back across the bridge to stand on the lakeshore. “Watch!”

Concentrating, Sakura made the four hand signs. She felt the pull of the water, and channeled that energy through her. Water rose up from the grass, the lagoon, even pooling through the air to encircle Hinata. The heiress seemed stunned, overcome with the beauty of the crystalline water encircling her as the evening sun shone it’s last rays. In a matter of seconds, the girl was completely enclosed in a perfected water prison, and not a single hair on her head was wet. Sakura smiled triumphantly and made a sign to release, and all the water splashed down to the ground. This time, Hinata did not remain completely dry. 

“Oops!” Sakura cried out. “I guess I haven’t quite got the dismissal part right. But besides that, I’ve completed mastered the water prison jutsu! And it’s only been a few weeks!”

“I’m so p-proud of you, Sakura.” Hinata said, wringing out her jacket. “You’ve r-really progressed!”

Sakura ran up to hug Hinata, and eventually the two girls bid farewell for real. Each walked home feeling tired and satisfied. Hinata wondered what chakra type she was, and whether or not she could learn the water prison jutsu. It sure was lucky that Sakura was a water type and happened to have a water scroll passed down through her family! Sakura knew the truth about where the water scroll came from, and wondered at the fate of its original owner. 

________________

Kin drifted in and out of consciousness. How many days had it been? She didn’t know; time was no longer any of her concern. She couldn’t quite hold on to it anymore, just like she could barely hold on to consciousness. It slipped through her fingers like water.

She was-- lying down? On a table? Or perhaps she was suspended. Her skin felt cold and dry. Her body felt strangely empty. She couldn’t see much, just glimpses of the room around her. When she opened her left eye she saw steel tools on a tray that was stained with blood. Her right eye wouldn’t open. She couldn’t move her body at all, it all felt numb and cold… When she looked directly in front of her, she saw an arm suspended in luminescent green liquid. Muffled voices echoed in her ears, and her vision blurred again. She would sleep. Sleep was easier. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so, yes i changed the pairings. what will happen next time? well, you'll have to wait and see! just in case, here are the pairings for next time. 
> 
> Shikamaru vs Temari  
Rain-nin vs Rock-nin  
Naruto vs Hinata  
Sakura vs Ino  
Sand-nin vs Grass-nin  
Leaf-nin vs Sound-nin  
Sasuke vs Shino
> 
> and then some other random ninjas idk


	8. The Calm Before the Storm

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> there's a storm brewing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hello, lovelies! hope everyone's doing well. here's the long awaited end of the chunin exams!

After another long day of training, Sakura collapsed on the ground and stared at the sky. It was so blue…Sakura thought of Ino and her pretty blue eyes. 

As if she had been summoned by Sakura’s thoughts, Ino appeared above her. Two sky blue eyes framed by blond hair filled her vision, staring at her upside down. Sakura’s bones protested as she leapt up to meet her stare. 

Sakura looked at her suspiciously. “Hello… Ino-pig.” Ino smiled and curtsied dramatically. “Billboard-brow.”

Sakura crossed her arms. “What do you want.” 

“Just wanted to see you. It’s been a while, Sakura.” Ino said, shrugging. 

Sakura felt like she was being made fun of somehow. “If you’ve come to taunt me about our match, just know I won’t lose easily to you! I’ve grown a lot since the exams, and I’m not gonna lose to you!” Ino opened her mouth to speak, and Sakura cut her off again. “I know you think I’m not much because I’m not from a clan, but Tenten doesn’t have a clan either and she’s super strong! We’re both gonna be like Tsunade one day. You shouldn’t underestimate me any more,” she said, tilting her chin proudly, “for your own sake.”

Ino stared at her with an unreadable expression on her face. Then she sighed. “Oh, Sakura. I never thought of you as lesser than. I’m sorry I used to join in with the other kids and make fun of your parents, but I promise I’m different now! You mean a lot to me, and-- and you’re more than a worthy rival.”

Sakura was surprised to hear those words come out of Ino’s mouth. It had been forever since the girls had acknowledged each other’s abilities with such honesty. Ino took a breath and then continued. 

“But--” oh, here it comes. “ I want more. Don’t get me wrong, I love being your rival. But can I also be your friend again?”

This Sakura really wasn’t expecting. Over the years, it had become difficult to tell where the jibes ended and the honesty began. Sometimes she thought Ino did really hate her. She felt her eyes water, and jumped into Ino’s arms. 

“Oh, Ino! I’m so glad, I’ve missed you! I thought-- I thought you really didn’t like me anymore. And it was all because of a dumb boy… I honestly wish I’d never given up our friendship, I just felt like I needed to get out of your shadow somehow, and that was the only way I knew how.”

Ino rubbed her back in smooth circles. “It’s okay, I know. I feel the same way. I missed you, billboard brow.” 

The two girls hugged and cried and apologized to each other for all the years spent at odds. Sakura told her about the chunin exams in full, the first time she told anyone the whole story, and Ino held her as she cried reliving it. She talked about the new friends she’d made, the training she’d done, and the jutsus she’d learned. Ino talked about her own experience in the exams, and explained what Team Ten had been doing for the month leading up to the finals. She ranted about Shikamaru and gossiped about Asuma’s blooming romance with Kurenai. Finally, the two girls got up from their spot in the grass. Sakura’s eyes were puffy and bloodshot from crying, and Ino gently teased her about it. Both girls laughed.

“You know what’ll cheer you up?” Ino said, smiling and quirking up her eyebrows. 

“What?”

Ino rubbed her hands together. “Shopping!”

Sakura laughed, nodding in excitement, and Ino twirled her around. “My lady,” she said dramatically, “may I escort you to the shopping district?”

Sakura bowed in return. “Why of course, my liege.” 

They ended up going to several clothing stores. Sakura bought a pretty dress, just because it made her feel nice, and Ino bought several skirts with matching tops. They went to the shinobi ware store, and both stocked up on new kunai and shuriken. Sakura bought a set of special engraved senbon as a thank you present for Kin, and a wide waist-hugging belt with plenty of pouches in it to secure her tunic. She drooled over a set of hardy red gloves with embroidered cherry blossoms, and Ino ended up buying them for her, to much protest. But Sakura was grateful nonetheless. Meanwhile, Ino bought a new fishnet purple top and matching fishnet leggings. Both girls left the store feeling beautiful and badass.

They passed another specialized weapons store on their way home. “One day,” Ino said dreamily, “I want a weapon to call my own. They’ll call me Ino the Katana! Or something,” she giggled. 

“How long have you been dreaming about this, Ino-pig?” Sakura laughed and elbowed her friend.

“Oh, only since… forever! My life won’t be complete till I have a sword!” Both girls stared at the weapon display with open adoration. Ino was enraptured by an engraved longsword with a purple cloth wrapped around the handle. The handle itself was embedded with shining blue gemstones, and had various good luck prayers embroidered into the cloth. It was ridiculously expensive. Sakura stared longingly at a pair of axes with a red pattern on the blades, and a white cloth wrapped around the handles with red cherry blossoms sewn into it. It, too, was absurdly expensive. Both girls dragged themselves away from the display cases, dreaming up their own personal armory.

________________

The day of the finals dawned. Soon the chunin exams will finally be over, Sakura thought. She rose with the sun and spent an hour and a half getting ready: showering, organizing her weapons, and packing her bags. She combed her hair and pulled it back with her Konoha headband; she didn’t want it getting in the way. She was dressed in her (now quite worn) tunic, and tied it with her extra large black belt. The belt was filled to the brim with kunai, shuriken, and senbon, as well as a first aid kit (_ that _ would have been helpful in the Forest of Death) and some other tools. She tied her kunai pouch to her thigh, slid into her boots, and put on her gloves. She was prepared for anything (so she thought). 

She ran to the training grounds early a did a couple laps and stretches to warm up. In her head, she rehearsed the plan she’d come up with to beat Ino-- there’d be no last minute stunts this time! She saw Rock Lee on his morning sprint around Konoha and waved cheerfully. The boy still hadn’t fully recovered from his match with Gaara, but thankfully no permanent damage had been done. 

She was supposed to meet Ino and Hinata at the front entrance by 9:00. The three girls had started hanging together since Ino and Sakura made up, but Hinata still wasn’t entirely comfortable around the outgoing girl. There were a lot of awkward silences between the three of them, and it was Sakura’s job to mediate. So it was essential that she arrived on time! If the two of them had to stand there awkwardly while waiting for her, she would never hear the end of it from each of them. 

Sakura arrived early just in case. Hinata arrived a few minutes later, and Ino waltzed in, fashionably late as always. 

“I brought snacks!” Ino said, holding up a grocery bag full of goodies. 

“Yum!” Sakura replied, and the three girls headed into the arena. They all sat next to each other, with the rest of Team Ten sitting behind them, and Team Eight sitting in front. Naruto sat next to Sakura, and Sasuke and Kakashi were nowhere to be found. 

The first matchup was Temari versus Shikamaru. The fight started off with Temari dominating, but eventually Shikamaru remembered he was supposed to be taking her seriously and won the match. “Oh, that dick, I’m gonna scold him so bad once he gets back here!” Ino growled. “Again with the ‘women bore me, they’re so troublesome’ thing. Will he never learn?” Sakura patted Ino on the back encouragingly, but secretly waited with glee for Shikamaru’s talking-to. The boy deserved it. Plus, Ino was kind of pretty when she was mad.

The next match was Naruto versus Hinata. Sasuke arrived just before it started, saying something about “wanting to see that dumbass lose”. Naruto looked excited, and Hinata looked about ready to throw up. Sakura squeezed her friend’s hand, whispering “you got this!” in her ear. 

The match started the way all matches with Naruto start: with him summoning about a hundred clones. They didn’t all rush Hinata at once, seeming to pity the girl who looked like she was on the verge of tears. Instead, about three at a time rushed at her, and she exchanged blows with all three, eventually dispelling them. As another wave of clones came for her, she seemed to gain a little confidence, and began showcasing some excellent taijutsu against the army of Narutos. Soon he was sending ten at a time to attack her, and she was dispelling them within seconds. 

“Looks like I’ll have to up my game.” Naruto said, loud enough for everyone in the stands to hear. He put his fingers together in the ram sign and summoned another wave of clones, even bigger than the last. Hinata’s eyes widened in fear, but before Sakura could call out to her in encouragement, someone else beat her to it. 

“Hinata, you can do this! Remember what we’ve been working on!” 

It was Neji, calling out from the stands opposite of Sakura. He had his byakugan activated and was intently watching the fight. 

Hinata at first seemed to clam up even further. All the attention was on her, and she had the expectations of her family on her shoulders. But she was supported. She slowly relaxed her stance, and then took up a new one. Sakura didn’t recognize it, she had never used it in their spars. Then she motioned for Naruto to come at her. 

Kiba turned around in his seat in excitement. “That’s the Eight Triagrams Palms Revolving Heaven! Or a modified version of it at least. Naruto’s gonna eat his words!” he said, cackling at the thought of his ‘rival’ losing. 

“I don’t know what that is, Kiba.” Sakura replied. 

“You’ll see,” Kiba said, turing back in his seat. “Naruto’s done for.”

Naruto sent a wave of at least fifteen clones at Hinata, followed quickly by another round. But Hinata started moving, moving so fast it was almost impossible to track. She seemed to be attacking in all directions at once, and as soon as the clones came within an arm’s distance they were thrown back and dispelled. It was as if there was a dome around Hinata, a dome that would let nothing pass. 

Soon the clones were almost all gone. Naruto realized the futility of summoning more, so he came at her himself. But she hit him, again and again and again, and he fell to the ground. When he got back up, his arms hung loosely at his sides. She had disabled them! 

As if realizing the extent of the damage done, Hinata moved out of her stance. “Oh, N-naruto, I’m s-so-- I’m so sorry! Are you okay? I didn’t m-m-mean to hurt you!”

The poor girl looked close to tears again, but Naruto gave her a wide grin. “No, I’m glad you didn’t hold back on me! You’re a worthy opponent, believe it!”

With that, Hinata promptly burst into tears. “Oh, no, I’m sorry!” Naruto exclaimed, looking horrified. “I didn’t mean to make you cry!”

“It’s o-okay, Naruto. I just-- you saying that m-means a lot to m-me.”

Everyone in the stands was quiet as they waited for the Hyuuga to regain her composure. She seemed to realize this, and promptly wiped her eyes in embarrassment. She entered into her stance again, facing Naruto. The two exchanged blows, Naruto using only his legs, and Hinata slowly but deftly incapacitated him. She delivered the final blow, hitting him in the head and knocking him out. The crowd cheered as Hinata stood proudly at the center of the arena, and the proctor came over to shake her hand.

Before they could make contact, however, a strange orange chakra started rising from Naruto’s unconscious body. It lashed out, hitting both Hinata and the proctor. His body rose from the ground, enveloped in a bubbling aura, and sent another blow in Hinata’s direction. She tried to get up, but was paralyzed in fear. The aura seemed to be turning darker red, and was growing something-- tentacles? Tails? Sakura didn’t know what it was, but rushed down to the stands to help her friends. Naruto’s eyes opened, and he let out a deep growl. Something was wrong with Naruto, he wasn’t himself. Several others were also running out into the arena, but the jounin seemed to be trying to keep their distance. How could they, when Hinata was in danger? The chakra tails seemed to hit her again, harder this time, and throwing her against a wall. Sakura thought she might be out cold. Without thinking, she jumped down into the arena to join the jonin who were slowly encircling Naruto. She pushed past a brown haired man with his hands forming a snake sign, and ran towards her teammate. 

“Naruto!” She screamed in desperation. “Please, wake up! This isn’t you!”

“Sakura!” She heard Kakashi yell behind her. He grabbed her arm firmly, but Naruto’s head turned towards her. “Naruto! Please, it’s me! Naruto!”

He lashed out at her, and broke Kakashi’s grip. The jounin were getting closer, moving carefully but with purpose. Sakura knew-- she just_ knew _\-- that if they reached Naruto they would do something bad to him. The look on their faces didn’t take into consideration his safety. She ran towards him again, dodging the grip of the proctor who tried to stop her. 

“Naruto!” she cried again, her voice breaking. 

Suddenly she noticed Sasuke, on her other side, also trying to get to Naruto. And Hinata was awake again, and seemed to be trying the same thing. Hell, she even saw Kiba pushing his way into the center. 

“Naruto...” she said, quietly this time, tears slipping down her cheeks. For some reason, this seemed to strike a chord in him. The orange chakra started to die down, and Naruto’s face twisted into anguish. 

“Sakura-chan,” he replied, his hoarse voice joined with a much deeper one. “Don’t cry…” That just made Sakura cry more. He sounded so scared. She stepped towards him but another jounin hauled her back. Until suddenly, he let go. Sakura turned around to see the Hokage, with his hand on the jounin’s shoulder, shaking his head. Sakura knew an opportunity when she saw one, and ran towards her friend. 

The minute she touched the aura her skin burned. It had no effect on her clothes, but it marked stripes of her arms with wounds. It hurt like hell, but… Sakura noticed the closer she got to him, the less his chakra hurt her. It was receding, back into his body. Steeling herself for the pain, Sakura finally reached the boy. She put her arms around him, wrapping him in a tight hug. 

“Sakura-chan?” she heard him croak. “What happened? Why does everything hurt?” Sakura hugged him tighter, bearing the pain, and they both passed out. 

________________

When she came to she was seated in a medic tent, with Naruto and Sasuke beside her. She checked her arms, and they were wrapped in bandages. The sound of her rustling alerted Sasuke to her presence, and he nudged the sleeping Naruto in the shoulder. 

“Sakura-chan!” Naruto cried, wrapping her in a bear hug. Being jostled kind of hurt, but Sakura bore it easily. It was nothing compared to what she felt when she first touched that aura. And it would be nothing compared to losing Naruto. 

Surprisingly, Sakura wasn’t the first one to start crying. Naruto bawled his eyes out, apologizing profusely and looking at her balefully through tearful lashes. Sakura told him there was nothing to forgive, although Naruto still seemed upset. Sakura definitely wanted to have a talk with him about that orange chakra, but this was not the time or place. She was more concerned with Naruto not beating himself up too much over it. She searched her brain for something that could take his mind off of the incident. 

“So… did I miss my match?” Sakura asked innocently, trying to hide the disappointment in her voice. 

This time it was Sasuke who spoke up. “They postponed it. You’ve been asleep for two and a half matches.” Sakura did the numbers in her head. “Does that mean… I missed your match?”

Sasuke looked vaguely miffed. “Tch. Whatever. I beat that loser easily, it wasn’t much to see.” 

“Oh, that’s amazing Sasuke-kun! Does that mean you’ll make chunin?”

Sasuke clicked his teeth. “Tch.”

Naruto butted in to translate. “So, apparently, winning doesn’t guarantee you chunin? Isn’t that crazy? They’re considering any candidate who made it to the final rounds, but it depends how well they show off their skillset, and whether or not they think we’re “emotionally prepared.” Whatever that means. I personally don’t think Sasuke’s emotionally prepared for anything…”

“Dumbass.”

“Bastard!”

Sakura rolled her eyes as her boys started arguing again. This was what she’d wanted, back to normal. A realization came to her; “Wait… if they postponed my match, does that mean I’m up next?” Both boys nodded in tandem, one eager and one restrained. 

“Well then, I better get going! I’m sure as hell not gonna let Ino show me up!”

After getting a quick checkup from the medics and a quick scolding from Kakashi for her “brash actions”, she was ready to head back to the arena. She waited in eager anticipation by the stands, waiting for the current match to be over. 

She was sitting there, cheerful and unsuspecting, as a wave of fatigue washed over her. Before she knew it, the only thing that mattered in the world was closing her eyes…

Oh hell no, Inner retorted, rearing wildly in her head. 

Suddenly she was wide awake again, conscious enough to see everyone in the stands collapsing as a terrifying roar sounded from the direction of the forest. And in between one moment and the next, they were at war. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> cliffhanger! so sorry guys, but you know I had to do it to 'em. some comments:
> 
> 1) Ino and Sakura make up! yay! and we're gonna see a lot of girl bonding with them and Hinata from now on. I was going to include their fight originally, but I felt like their issues had mostly been resolved and I didn't want to rehash old things. 
> 
> 2) Hinata vs Naruto! this one I was really excited about, tbh, because I think their skillsets match up really well, and it's kinda the equivalent of Neji vs Naruto. only this time, Naruto's not fighting a dick who puts him down! gasp! how will he react?! I feel like, without the extra motivation to Get Angry(tm), the nine tails chakra doesn't really have the opportunity to come out. at least, until Naruto loses consciousness. I think it's a combination of Naruto's disappointment of losing (the boy's kinda got a complex) and his inability to control the fox which let him out. I also wanted the nine tails to become common knowledge at this point, because I was always waiting for that moment in the manga where he revealed himself dramatically. anyway, we love Naruto, Hinata's a badass and deserves the world, and that was their match!
> 
> 3) no update from Kin yet :( sorry! but don't worry, we'll hear from her in the next chapter! 
> 
> also, guys, if you like my writing and you like Naruto, i'm posting a bunch of new fics today (since it's my update day) and would love if you guys would go check it out! i promise lots of girl power (as always) because that's my ninja way!


	9. Sound and Sand

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> kin makes her escape. the rookie nine receive a mission.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> warning: this chapter has some fairly graphic depictions of torture (at least for me) so please be warned and stay safe! if you want to skip it, don't read the first section. i'll have a summary down below in the notes.

Kin awoke to the hushed murmurs of guards and the rolling sensation of a stretcher. The sound was grating and horrible and loud. Everything was loud, from the scraping of the stretcher against the floor to the breathing of the guards. She could hear distant screams of pain, water dripping from the leaking dungeon, and soldiers conversing from far away. Her hearing was enhanced. 

She opened one eye hesitantly, looking up to see the blurry dungeon’s ceiling. Her body… hurt. Everything hurt. Her memories lay dormant just under the surface, untouched and dangerous. She tried to squirm, but she was restrained. Two straps secured her legs to the stretcher, and another across her chest. Her left arm was bound as well, but her right… she couldn’t feel anything holding her down. She tried to wiggle her fingers, but she couldn’t feel anything. Had they numbed her arm? Kin craned her neck down to try and get a look. There was… there was nothing there. She could move her shoulder, and the hospital gown she was wearing moved with it, but the sleeve lay limp and flat. Where her arm should have been was… nothing. Oh gods, Kin thought in panicked horror, oh gods they took my arm. Orochimaru hadn’t just given, he’d taken away. Without thinking she started writhing furiously to try and get out of her binds. Tears leaked from her eyes as she realized she was trapped, and oh gods she was already dead-

“Hey. Stop that.” One of the guards said, and his voice sounded so, so loud. “You know it won’t do you any good.”

“That never stops them, you know that.” Another guard said. He continued saying something else, but the stimulation was becoming too much for Kin, and she writhed even more. She could hear distant screams and pleas, she could hear the jostling of the gurney as it hit another bump in the floor, her own heartbeat was like a gong, the blood rushing through her body a river, and she was sure if she concentrated she would be able to hear the heartbeats of the guards. The sounds were too much, and she passed out. 

She was only unconscious for a moment before returning to her senses. This time, with the sounds comes a primal fear. Memories rushed through her head, even more overwhelming than the sounds. They were violent and visceral, consuming all her senses. She remembered drifting in and out of consciousness, suspended by chains and then lying down with an IV dripping out of her arm. She remembered Orochimaru’s moments of gentleness, where he would caress her face before cutting into her arm. She remembered those snake eyes glinting at her, watching her mirthfully as she screamed in pain. She remembered him taking her arm and cutting holes into her, carving her up and putting tubes inside her. Her right arm was so mangled and useless that he had to sever it, but kept it preserved and on display to remind her of her helplessness. He tried again, this time with her left arm, and succeeded enough that he let her keep it. Thank the gods, because she didn't think she could handle watching him saw off her arm again. The blood, oh there was so much blood. He kept her conscious through it, although she was so drugged up the pain was mostly numbed. Mostly. She remembered Kabuto cutting her up and stitching her back together again, at first to harvest her organs and then just for fun. He would cut her and heal her just to cut her again. The memories were a tidal wave that she was powerless to stop, and with them came a flood of emotions. Kin was consumed by rage and fear, and she opened her mouth to scream. 

The guard to her left just huffed with laughter at the sound of her pained shriek, but the other two just ignored her. Nevertheless, she kept on screaming. Bound as she was, there was nothing else she could do. Her screams grew louder and louder, reverberating throughout the dungeon and echoing in her ears. Now the guards seemed a little unsettled. Tears fell from her eyes as her voice grew louder; the sound vibrated violently throughout her ears but she didn’t care. The guard behind her suddenly collapsed as he bled from his ears. The other two scrambled to muffle the noise, the one on the right that laughed at her earlier drawing out a gag and trying to tie it around her mouth. Anger filled her from head to toe, and she raised the volume even louder. The guard started bleeding from his eyes and ears and nose, and Kin headbutted him before he went down. The other guard punched her in the face. He delivered blow after blow to her face, until her cheeks felt numb and blood filled her mouth and she gagged. She was sure her nose was broken. Finally, he collapsed as well. 

Kin managed to tip the gurney over and land on the floor. She was still bound, but shuffled closer to the recently fallen guard. She had noticed earlier he’d been the one carrying a set of keys. She grabbed them with her teeth and got to work unlocked herself. She had only just managed to get her neck and arm free when several more guards ambled in. They seemed undisturbed and even jovial. 

“You’d think, being the Sound village, we’d have soundproof walls on our dungeons. We’re always coming down to check on commotions that just turned out to be tortured prisoners.” 

“Soundproof is reserved for the boss-man. They don’t really care about what we deal with,” Another said. Then their eyes landed on Kin, the overturned gurney, and the guards lying unconscious around her.

“Shit, man.” 

They all rushed at her, and she screamed again. She still couldn’t run, her legs were bound. As the guard in front reached her, she put her arm up in defense. All five fingers stretched out, Kin noticed there were small holes beneath each one of her nails, with metal gages holding them in place. And suddenly, all five guards were blown back by a wave of force emanating from her outstretched hand. The two furthest hit the wall behind them and passed out cold, while the other three hit the floor. Kin realized that Orochimaru really had made her into a weapon. She was going to make him regret that. 

The girl grabbed a dagger from one of the guards lying next to her and started to saw through the bindings on her legs. Once up, she ran low at the nearest guard. He was getting up from the floor, clearly shaken. Kin adjusted her grip on the hilt of the dagger and remembered the lessons from the man she called Father. Stay low, keep a tight grip, and get him where it counts. She kneed him the groin, causing him to double over, and then sank the dagger into his abdomen before he could even stand. Using the blunt hilt to knock him in the head, she finished him off. Another one was getting up, so she screamed at him, causing him to stumble back. Blood dripped from his ears. She stayed low, and drew the blade across his throat while he was still reeling. The third put up more of a fight. But Kin was motivated by absolute fear for her life, and sometimes that is enough to win. 

She started out of the dungeons, but stopped herself. Instead, she took the guards’ keys, rushed down, and unlocks as many cells as she can. She figured she would be able to escape in the commotion, and hopefully redirect some of Sound’s forces if they had to deal with an internal problem. Most of the prisoners were too out of it to notice they had been freed, but Kin hoped they would react eventually. Her next destination was the low-level sleeping quarters. She knew the Sound headquarters pretty well, after being a part of the invasion force, and remembered a passageway in the back of the barracks that served as a shortcut to the main entrance. They were in a cave just north of Konoha, and the cave system was full of tunnels and secrets if you knew where to look.

It was almost too easy to reach the barracks. Whenever she heard the sound of footsteps she would hide immediately; it was nearly impossible to sneak up on her with the enhanced hearing she had. She avoided the main passageways, and didn’t confront any more guards. When she finally made it to the barracks, they were empty; everyone had gone to fight the war. She took a moment to change out of her slip, the mockery of a hospital gown, and into the official sound uniform. She also grabbed a few materials that she would need to escape, and covered her face as well as she could so the bruises wouldn’t show. Fear had led her to be careful.

Hearing the clashing of blades and yells coming from downstairs, Kin realized that her plan must have worked. Hopefully at least some soldiers would be diverted to the lower levels. When she reached the main entrance, there were at least a hundred nin lining up for battle. And this was only one of the points of attack. She took out a smoke bomb from her back pocket, and threw it on the ground to create some cover. Using the bomb as distraction, she ran out the main cave entrance. Looking back at the cave filled with smoke, Kin made a final decision. She hesitantly drew nearer to the shouts of confusion coming from inside, and put her hand against the wall of the cave. She screamed again, and felt her arm vibrate with the pure sound. The cave entrance collapsed, and she ran. That would hold them up for a while, she thought. She ran towards Konoha. 

________________

Orochimaru, legendary sannin, returned to his base ready for the invasion. He had just got done playing the Kazekage, and found his bloodlust hard to restrain. What a joy it would be, to not only kill his former sensei, but annihilate Konoha in the process. 

He stopped at the front entrance. For there was no entrance anymore, just a pile of rubble. With a quiet “tut” he bit his finger and summoned Asagi, who’s poison would surely be enough to deal with this little setback. A green and yellow snake that stood at about his height appeared, and bowed to it’s master. Orochimaru motioned at the rocks, and the snake spit it’s acidic venom. In a matter of minutes, the largest of the boulders had disintegrated. Orochimaru sighed. It’s at times like these, he thought, that I wish I had Tsunade’s powers. 

“More, Asagi.”

“Ssssir.” the snake said. “I’m sssure you’re aware, but there are nin inside trying to move the rubble. My venom does not discriminate.” 

Orochimaru gave it a withering glance. “Asagi. Do not make me ask twice.”

“Yesssir.”

The snake spit even more venom, and the rest of the rocks began to disintegrate. Orochimaru stepped inside, ignoring the screams and stepping over half disintegrated bodies. The cave was in chaos; ninja running around and screaming, rocks tumbling from the ceiling, Sound fighting amongst itself. He even saw some prisoners running around. What a mess. But he had a pretty good idea of who was responsible for all this. And, while he was irritated at the state of his troops, nothing could compare to his elation at the prospect of new experiments. Surely, if she had made it this far, the experiments had worked. And she had been the first to survive the process. He made a mental note to send out a squad after the invasion was over to retrieve her. And, while it was a minor inconvenience to have his Edo Tensei sacrifice taken away, there were plenty of bodies to go around. 

________________

Sakura was dazed for a moment, overcome with the sounds of war. She felt a tap on her shoulder, and whirled around, kunai in hand. She breathed a sigh of relief - it was just Kakashi. 

“Good job snapping out of that genjutsu, Sakura. But I need you to do me a favor. I need you to wake up the others. Can you do that for me?” He seemed to be treating her with extreme fragility, as if even the thought of battle might break her. Come on, sensei, Inner thought. We faced Zabuza in a real A rank mission, and survived the Forest of Death. The thought of battle isn’t going to send me running, who do you think I am?

She almost said something, but decided against it. Now was not the time. She looked around, and saw fighting going on all around her in the stands, where a few jounin who’s shaken off the genjutsu were battling both Sound and Sand nin. They had been betrayed! She always thought those Sound nin seemed suspicious, and after what happened in the Forest with Orochimaru she was almost expecting something like this to happen. But Sand? They were allies of Konoha! How could they? The Kazekage himself was in on it too, she realized as she saw him attack the Hokage. Anbu tried to protect the Third, but a wall of flame came up around them. In the distance, she saw the walls of Konoha get ripped apart by giant snakes, rivaled only by the one she saw in the Forest. Plus, there was that roar that came from the east. Sakura resolved to figure out what was going on once she’d assisted her friends. 

She rushed back up the stands to where the Rookie Nine were sitting. Sasuke didn’t need any help, and was already trying to wake up a very loudly snoring Naruto. He gave her a nod in acknowledgement, and she felt herself blush a little bit. Inner growled, _ snap out of it Sakura, now is not the time _! Right! She had a job to do. She left Naruto to Sasuke and moved to find Shikamaru looking at her through one half-lidded eye. 

“Shikamaru.” She growled, not getting a response. “Are you pretending to be asleep in the middle of an invasion? Because if you are, so help me god I-”

“Alright, alright.” Shikamaru conceded. “I’m up.” 

“Good. Now wake up Chouji.” Shikamaru muttered something in response. 

“Shikamaru if you just said anything along the lines of ‘troublesome woman’ I will rip out your spine and feed it to you.” Sakura threatened in a low voice. Needless to say, Chouji woke up fast. Once Ino had been snapped out of it (and Sakura resolved to tell her about Shikamaru’s laziness at a later date) She went on to Team Eight. Just as she was reaching Hinata, Sakura felt the hairs on the back of her neck rise. She turned her head to see a Sand-nin in the corner of her vision, raising a sword to her back. Before she could raise a kunai to protect herself, three senbon came whirling past her to hit the shinobi in his vital points. 

She turned to her other side to see Sasuke, breathing hard and looking angry. “You have to be more careful, Sakura. You’re gonna get yourself killed.”

“But, I-”

“Watch out for yourself, not just others. I don’t want to have to save your hide again.” 

Sakura felt ashamed that she had to be protected again, but didn’t have the courage to tell Sasuke how his harsh words made her feel. She instead mumbled a thank you and proceeded to wake up Hinata. 

Once the Rookie Nine were all awake and together, they joined the fray. Sakura, Sasuke, and Naruto stood back to back and took down as many shinobi as they could. Luckily, they all came away with only minor injuries. Eventually, Asuma found them and gave them a new mission: to help evacuate civilians. So each of the Rookie Nine stuck close together, and began waking up citizens and shepherding them out of the stadium. They were even lucky enough to meet up with Team Gai, who had been given the same mission. Sakura stood tall, with her teammates by her side, and prepared to fight a war.

________________

When Kin finally reached the village, the walls on the north side had been destroyed by snake battalions. Giant snakes slithered around the wreckage, no longer restrained by their summoners, and wreaked havoc on the village. She entered the fray, the battlefield becoming a blur as she fought Sand and Sound nin alike. She recognized some of the people she was killing, although none of them recognized her. Soon, the numbness started setting in. _ This is it _ , Kin thought, _ this is how he taught me to kill _. Not my Father, but Orochimaru. Father taught me to look people in the eyes to understand the value of a life, but Orochimaru taught me to only look at them if you relish the look in their eyes as they die. So she found herself avoiding looking at them, just stab, rinse, and repeat. If she needed to, she would use her newfound abilities with her hand, but she avoided screaming. After all, sound does not discriminate, whereas with her arm she could at least aim. She didn’t really know how it worked, but somehow when she stretched out all five of her fingers, it amplified the surrounding noise and channeled it into a force. So that was how she survived: turn away, raise your arm, let the sound do the work for you. It felt dirty, but she didn’t have time to spare for moral antics. 

It didn’t take long for Konoha nin to find her. She was dressed as a Sound ninja, after all. Four of them all came at her at once, and they looked like chunin. Kin wasn’t sure what her official shinobi rank was- she had been considered a chunin without taking the exam but had to pose as a genin. Who promptly failed the exam. Suffice to say, it was not evenly matched. One of them was an earth user, and he accidently spent a spike into one of the nearby buildings where a few civilians had taken shelter. Horror dawned on his face as the building collapsed on top of them. Kin raised her arm and screamed, blowing back the rubble so far that not a single pebble landed on their heads. This seemed to draw the attention of the Konoha chunin. 

Holding the gaze of the earth user, she used her kunai to slash a line across her sound headband. The chunin seemed wary, but they didn’t immediatly attack her again. Eventually, they started backing away. 

“It doesn’t really matter. She’ll be killed by someone or another by the time this battle’s over.” She heard one of them say. 

The earth user started walking away with them, but turned back to look at her. He was only a few years older than her, with black shoulder length hair and a scar running across his lip. He slowly unzipped his vest and handed it to her. 

“Here. It’ll make you look more like… like one of us.”

Kin stood there, shocked. “Thank you.” She finally said, sincerely. 

He nodded back to her and shunshined away. She watched the swirl of leaves where he once stood and wiped her eyes. Removing her belt and zipping up the vest, she proudly wore a uniform for the first time in her life. 

________________

Amidst the chaos, a nameless root agent protects Danzo. He has neither name nor identity, but wears the mask of a dog.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> summary for those who skipped:
> 
> Kin wakes up, realizes she's lost an arm, and that her remaining arm has... modifications made to it. she can hear better than before, and is so overwhelmed by the sounds she passes out. when she wakes up, she is being transported on a gurney to Orochimaru, and has a panic attack. Kin starts screaming so loud she is able to knock out the guards with the sheer power of sound. she realizes Orochimaru has made her into a living weapon. she hacks her way out of her bindings and confronts a new wave of guards who came to check on the commotion. she knocks two of them out and kills the other three. then, she makes her way to the main entrance, throws a smoke bomb for cover, and makes it outside. then she causes a cave in with her newfound powers and runs to the aid of Konoha. 
> 
> 1) Sakura and Sasuke had a... disagreement. but Sakura's still not in a place where she's comfortable enough with herself to really be honest about how she feels and stand up to Sasuke. And Sasuke does have a point, but he's being an ass about it and someone needs to sit down with him. anyway, don't worry, it will be confronted!
> 
> 2) yay!!! kin's alright!! know a lot of you were worried about her, and i'm so ecstatic that y'all care! she's gonna be alright folks, i stake my life on it. if it wasnt clear, basically, Orochimaru experimented on Kin by trying to modify her body to amplify sound. the idea was kinda stolen from HxH's Bonolenov, but kinda toned down. Also, she can scream loud enough to damage someone's inner ears. So now, Kin is Bonolenov mixed with Black Canary. I just really liked the idea of using Sound as a weapon, which she kind of did originally with her senon bells, but i wanted to expand on that. Anyway, she went through a super traumatic time during that month, where she was tortured and dehumanized, and that's gonna leave some scars. she's now kinda running on autopilot, and killing anything that she deems as a threat even though she promised earlier to stop doing that. give my girl a break though, she's been through hell. and it's all part of that sweet sweet character arc. 
> 
> 3) gaara. gaara, gaara, gaara. a lovely commenter down below reminded me of how differently his journey is going, with no gaara retrieval arc and the tie with rock lee. so, one the one hand, i changed the retrieval arc (because honestly, don't we have enough retrieval arcs?) but don't worry, there WILL be a confrontation coming next chapter. looking forward to seeing y'all next time! 
> 
> 4) don't you think i had forgotten about sai! pinky promise, lot's more sai in the future! 
> 
> next chapter will be wrapping up the konoha crush arc!! then we have one more arc before we get to timeskip, and thats when the real fun starts!


	10. The Battle Rages

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> blood is spilled, and not everyone deals with it well.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, so, so sorry this took so long to post!!! I was super busy with finals week and college apps, and then I got sick over winter break and ughhh it was awful. But I'm better now, and back on my bullshit! Hope you guys enjoy, please drop a comment or kudos <3
> 
> warnings: graphic descriptions of violence, panic attacks

Hours later, the sun was high in the sky and there was blood covering the stands. Sasuke hadn’t seen this much blood since… well. All day he had been avoiding killing anyone, but it was getting harder and harder to protect his comrades while keeping his hands free of blood. I won’t be like Him, Sasuke thought desperately. I won’t stoop that low. He’d come close; when he saw that shinobi raise a sword to Sakura, he’d nearly aimed for the throat. The thought of losing his teammates was… too much. Naruto ran headfirst into danger, uncaring and unaware of the consequences, and Sasuke couldn’t keep track of the number of times he’d saved the blonde’s life. Sakura had better survival instincts, but her attention was always focused on someone else, on protecting Ino or the Hyuuga girl. Sasuke swore those two would be the death of him. 

They were shepherding citizens out of the stands, and Sasuke stood watch at the back. Sakura was consoling a crying child and his worried mother, and Naruto headed up the front. He turned back to the empty arena, and tried to avoid looking at the mutilated bodies. Sand, Sound, or Leaf, the dead were gruesome. His eyes landed on the body of a Leaf chunin who had somehow been bisected. He wasn’t much older than Sasuke, around… His age. Sasuke felt bile rise in his throat as he heaved a deep, gasping breath. So absorbed was he in the sight that lay before him, he didn’t notice that Sound nin coming up behind him until it was too late. He turned around, kunai raised, vaguely aware that both Naruto and Sakura were shouting at him to move. Too late, I was too late, Sasuke realized in the back of his mind. He braced himself for the pain, but it never came. Instead, he stared up into the empty eyes of a corpse, with a kunai sticking out of it’s throat. Sakura stood behind it, arm outstretched. The dead woman collapsed on top of him, coating him with blood. He fell back against the stands, arms pinwheeling behind him trying to grasp something to slow his fall. He caught the end of a bench and rolled out of the way as the corpse fell beside him. 

There was blood everywhere, on his shirt, on his neck and chest and in his hair. A woman’s corpse lay half on top of him, empty eyes staring ahead into nothing. Sasuke turned around and retched. Sakura came rushing down first, Naruto not far behind. They both looked at him with worried expressions on their faces. Sakura looked up and motioned to Team Eight, who was not far behind, to finish escorting the civilians. She hesitantly reached out to Sasuke and slowly rubbed circles on his back. It was something his mother used to do. The thought of her, mixed with the dead woman made him vomit even more, bile mixing with tears. He couldn’t think, couldn’t breathe, everything was too much, too much! He could hear Sakura and Naruto talking, but they sounded muffled and far away. 

“I think he’s having a panic attack…. C’mon help me move him… Just lift with your arms.. No, now is not the time, Naruto! Sasuke? Sasuke can you hear me?"

He groaned, his head spinning. They were moving him away, away from the dead woman and the puddle of vomit. They sat him down a couple rows above, and huddled together behind the seats, trying to erase their presence. Sasuke could hear them talking but couldn’t quite make out the words- they were probably making fun of him, scoffing at how weak he was…

“..suke! Sasuke! Sasuke, can you hear me?” It was Sakura’s voice. 

Sasuke groaned in reply. 

“Sasuke, I want you to breathe, okay? Can you do that for me? Breathe in, and out. In, and out…”

Only he couldn’t breathe. The moment he had that revelation, breathing became even harder, as he freaked out about not being able to perform this basic human function. Suddenly, everything was so much, too much… 

Blood. There was blood and death and blood mixed with bile and a woman and his mother was dead and she rubbed circles on his back and she was dead and there was blood and empty, empty eyes, a corpse, blood coming out of the eyes, His eyes, spinning, red pinwheels, red like blood like the blood in his house the stains he could never get out the blood of his mother and father she was rubbing circles on his back, no, she was lying on the floor dead, covered in blood, so much blood, woman, mother, Sakura, corpse, blood, blood, blood...

“Sasuke, your brain needs oxygen. I need you to breathe with me, okay?” Sakura took his hand in hers. She put her other hand on his shoulder. He looked into her eyes to see them looking worriedly at him, brows furrowed. She took an exaggeratedly deep breath, and he mimicked her action. Then she breathed out, and he copied her. Soon they were breathing simultaneously, and Sasuke felt some of his faculties returning. 

Naruto didn’t seem to know what to do with himself, so he started fidgeting around, and Sakura hissed at him to stop. So he started talking: filling the air with his voice. He talked about ramen, and Iruka-sensei and pranks he’s pulled in the past. He talked and talked and talked, and somehow his voice helped Sasuke calm down. He heard the sound of someone approaching them, and Sakura started to get up to deal with them, but he held her hand even tighter. He wouldn’t lose his team. She looked confused, but then nodded to Naruto and he summoned several shadow clones to deal with the threat. 

And so the three sat, for what could have been a few minutes or an hour. Naruto eventually stopped talking and joined in on the hand-holding, and they all huddled together, just breathing. 

“Oi, bastard. You feeling better, ‘cause we got a job to do.” Naruto eventually said.

Sakura hit him over the head. “Naruto, don’t be rude! Give him a moment!”

“I’ve given him a moment! I’ve given him a lotta moments! I’m just saying we need to get back to- ouch, Sakura.” 

Sasuke stood up first. “It’s fine. Everything’s fine. The dumbass is right for once. We have a mission.”

Sakura stood up with him. “Are you sure you’re okay?”

“I’m fine, alright!” Sasuke snapped. “Forget about it!”

Sakura sighed. “Ok, Sasuke.” He grunted in response. Naruto got up too, stretching his arms behind his back. “I’m ready to take down some more ninja, believe it!” 

His teammates were fine. They were safe, and they were still his teammates. Sasuke would deny it till the end of time, but Sakura and Naruto could both testify that Sasuke Uchiha was smiling. 

________________

Sakura felt the branches whip fast her face as she ran through the Forest. Her allies surrounded her, bounding from trunk to trunk. With most of the civilians were evacuated, the rookies had realized that they had an opportunity to tackle the source of the problem. The walls had been taken down by the giant snake summons; they had come from the north and were wreaking havoc on the village. But there was another problem, something deep in the forest to the east that was flattening the forest and creating a whirlwind. And so, the twelve genin split up, six going to assist the defensive efforts of the north, and six going to investigate the commotion to the east. Team Seven and Team Gai went east, while Team Ten and Team Eight went north. 

Sakura could see that they were approaching their target. There was some kind of monster, not a snake, wrecking havoc not far ahead. The great trees of Konoha’s famous forest had been cleared out, as if by the hand of god, forming a clearing just up front. As she broke through the line of trees, Sakura observed the wreckage that lay before her. Trees lay felled in a path leading towards the village, and a huge beast made of sand was advancing on their position. 

The six surrounded a beast made of sand and earth. Gaara’s face was still visible, enclosed by a swirl of sand. He seemed to be making his way toward the village, fallen chunin laying at his feet. The six looked at each other, acknowledged the futility of their efforts, but prepared for battle anyway. Naruto started, as he always had to, by summoning a hundred clones. Sasuke seemed to be concentrating on something, and the air filled with the smell of ozone. Tenten withdrew the massive scroll from her back and, a few handsigns later, was standing in front of an arsenal. She began to strap knives to herself, and reached down to retrieve a giant axe. Meanwhile, Neji already had his Byakugan activated, and had shifted into a stance that looked similar to what Hinata had been using before. Rock Lee reached for his weights, seeming to forget that he was still recovering and was not allowed to wear them yet. Tenten put a hand on his shoulder and said a few words in a hushed tone of voice. Lee seemed to bristle, but one stern look from Neji and he stepped back. Tenten turned to the rest of the group and told them that Lee would be support only. When her back was turned, Lee gave her a look that said he definitely wouldn’t be doing what she told him, but wiped it off his face as soon as she turned back. All this happened in a few seconds, and the giant sand monster had yet to acknowledge their presence. 

Sakura tapped Sasuke on the shoulder. “If you draw him closer to the river, I have a plan that could work.” He looked at her and rolled his eyes, scoffing before telling her to find cover. She began to protest but Sasuke ignored her, and rushed towards the sand monster with lightning in hand. 

The sound of a thousand chirping birds filled the air, and the ozone became overpowering. Sasuke weaved through the destroyed trees of their battleground, ignoring Naruto and Sakura’s shouts of protest. The beast finally noticed Sasuke, and lazily swiped at him with one of it’s giant hands. Sasuke struck, the chirping finally reaching a crescendo, and the lightning flashed bright. 

When Sakura is able to look again, the hand is gone. Sand pours out of the beasts forearm like blood, and Sasuke is nearly obscured by the downpour. The beast roars in anger, and sends Sasuke flying backwards. He lands against a tree with a sickening crunch. The sound spurs the rest of the team into action. Sakura runs for Sasuke, Naruto sends a couple clones that way too, Neji holds Rock Lee back by force, and Tenten throws a giant shuriken at Gaara’s face. It hits the beast’s eye just above Gaara’s head, but only manages to anger him more. Neji seemed to have given up on holding back Rock Lee, and shifted his stance to an attack formation. Just as he and Lee were about to advance, several Sand-nin burst out from the trees behind them, intent on shepherding Gaara towards the village. Neji was immediately upon them, and Tenten backed him with a flurry of weapons. Sakura looked behind her and yelled to Tenten.

“We need reinforcements! Someone has to go back!”

Tenten nodded in agreement and after a hushed conversation with Rock Lee, he conceded to go back. He was the fastest out of all of them, after all. Tenten and Neji worked to clear the Sand forces well enough to give Lee room to maneuver behind them, and continued to hold them back from the rest of the team. 

Team Seven was scattered. Sasuke was slowly getting up, just as she and Naruto’s clones reached him. He brushed off their concerns, even though Sakura noticed he was bleeding from the head. The rest of Naruto’s clones were climbing all over the creature, trying to reach Gaara. Naruto himself (Sakura assumed that was the real one) seemed to be having an animated conversation with a plump… frog? He and the frog seemed to be arguing about something, Naruto gesturing wildly and the frog shaking its head. Sakura still wasn’t sure if this all wasn’t some absurd dream. Sasuke rolled out of the way of a giant arm, still swiping at him in anger, and Sakura just barely managed to dodge out of the way too. For something so big, it sure was fast. When Sakura turned back to Naruto, perplexed, she saw he was surrounded by even more frogs, all talking animatedly. 

She was so absorbed in this absurd scene that she nearly missed when the other hand came swiping at her. She tried to roll out of the way, but there was simply not enough time or space for her to do so. It caught her, pinning her against the tree. The sand chafed at her skin, burning, burning. There was so much pressure, she felt her ribs groan under the hand of the monster. There was an awful, sickening crack and she felt her ribs cave in, and she couldn’t breathe, and she couldn’t think and then she was gone. 

________________

Sasuke watched in horror as Sakura was caught in the beast’s iron grip. She hadn’t been fast enough… In his mind he saw her die, in a hundred and one different ways. She was crushed, slowly, against the tree, her bones cracking and her skull crumbling. He told her to find cover! He saw blood pouring out of her, and oh, god, there was so much blood. He told her… In some of his visions she turned to him, laughing and mocking him for not being strong enough to protect his teammates. In some he dug her out of the sand, hands bloody and scraped and she wasn’t moving and oh god he was screaming, he was screaming and screaming and-- 

He felt a stinging pain on his face. Naruto, or one of his clones at least, had slapped him. He turned to look at him, shaking with tears in his eyes (Sasuke Uchiha didn’t cry) and choked out a “...why?” 

“Because you were screaming like an idiot instead of helping our friend.” Naruto said, anger and pity battling in his eyes. 

“...She’s… dead. She’s dead.”

Naruto slapped him again. “No she’s not you bastard. I don’t know what kinda crazy shit you were seeing, but she’s very much alive.” Sasuke turned back to see Sakura, not covered in blood, with her eyes rolled to the back of her head, slumped against the tree. The sand monster had forgotten her in it’s fury, and was now doing battle with… a giant toad? Sasuke shook his head fervently. More hallucinations. He really needed to get a grip, Sakura wasn’t dead, Naruto was fine and definitely not on top of that giant toad screaming something to Gaara, he was just stressed and hit his head before and man, was Naruto really on a giant toad? 

Sasuke shook his head and ran towards Sakura. She was going to be okay. They were all going to be okay. Well, maybe not him, because apparently he couldn’t _ keep it together, Sasuke _ , _ keep it together _. 

________________

Kin was exhausted after hours of fighting. She had known some of the people she’d killed, although she cared for none of them. Her arm and voice hurt after being overused, and she was not sure how much further she could push her body. She’d been looking for Sakura since the battle’s inception, but hasn’t been able to find her. Kin had been around most of the battle-ground at that point, where could the girl be? She had to find Sakura, she was the only one who would believe her story. 

Kin stopped to help three young genin take out a giant snake that was flailing around on Konoha’s walls. With her soundwaves, she was able to make quick work of incapacitating it, while one of the genin held it in place with some kind of shadow. Once the snake was down, she took a moment to rest. 

The one with the shadows approached her, looking suspicious. But it was the girl who spoke first. “You… you’re the enemy! I remember you fighting Sakura in the prelims! What are you doing taking down one of your own?” 

Kin sighed. This wasn’t the first time she was having the conversation, nor would it be the last. “Trust me, I’m not on their side. Look what they did to me.” She raised her arm (to which she received a flinch from the girl) and pulled down the scarf concealing the bruises decorated her face and neck. There was silence.

Finally, the one with the ponytail who had been eyeing her weird spoke up. “That’s awful convenient.” 

Kin hissed. “Does this,” and she pointed to the holes in her hand, “look _ convenient _ to you?”

He sighed. “I’ve seen some pretty freaky people today, especially from Sound.” 

Kin felt bile rise in her throat. To think… she was trying to help and this is what she got? Labelled as a freak and tossed aside. She stood up to her full height, just taller than ponytail boy, and stared him in the eye. 

“I don’t care what you think of me. But you mentioned Sakura before. Do you know where she is? She can help me explain.” 

At this, the third member of their group stepped forward. Where the other two had remained quiet, the girl even bristling when she mentioned Sakura’s name, this one seemed to look at her with compassion. 

“She went to fight investigate whatever’s going on in the east. I think it’s another one of these snakes, but I can’t tell from over here.” He said, brushing his long red hair over his shoulder. His other two teammates looked at him with shock and horror. 

“Chouji!” The blond girl angrily whispered. The ponytail boy looked surprised, but oddly enough seemed to relax when Chouji stepped in. 

Kin’s face paled. “Did it… did it make a sound? Like a roar?” This got the ponytail’s attention. 

He spoke up finally, voice low. “Yeah, that's the one. We don’t know what it is, but it’s wreaking havoc on the forest.”

“That's not one of ours. That's the monster of the Sand. Oh gods, Sakura’s in real danger!” Kin turned to blonde girl. “Take me there. We have to help her. That thing… it’s a bloodthirsty killing machine. Nothing like these snakes. You remember what happened to that kid when he fought the Kazekage’s son?” 

The blonde girl seemed surprised she was being addressed. Kin could tell from the way she’d reacted earlier that this one had a vested interest in Sakura, and hoped it was a good one. 

“Who?”

“That kid with the bowl cut,” Kin spoke impatiently, eyes darting back to the east, trying to see something, anything. “When he fought the red haired brat from Sand. That was just a fraction of its power. We were told to steer clear of it, and even Kabuto seemed afraid. I don’t ever want to encounter something that even he fears.” 

Chouji looked pale. “Oh god… Rock Lee…” 

The blonde girl gathered herself. “Ok, we’ve gotta go help them. But you,” and at that she turned to Kin. “You stay here. We can’t trust you, and I don’t want to be watching our backs the whole time.” 

Surprisingly, Ponytail stepped in on her behalf. “If she knows something, anything about what we’re about to face, than she’s a valuable asset. If she weren’t offering to come with us I’d suggest taking her prisoner and dragging her there myself.” 

Blondie looked angry. “Shikamaru, I thought you were on my side!”

“This is new information. Besides, Ino, this is a war: we have to be watching our backs anyway.” 

As the two argued, Chouji (the nice one) handed her a tissue. She realized, at some point, she must have started crying. 

________________

Everything was going wrong. Tenten and Neji were doing the best they could, but some nin had still managed to slip through. Naruto’s clones were taking care of them, but Sakura still had to watch her back. Sasuke was exhausted after using the chidori for the second time (equally as effective as the first-- which is to say, not that effective), and Naruto was on a giant fucking frog having a conversation (shouting match) with the creature that was currently trying to kill them. Sakura felt… frustrated. She had woken up in one of Naruto’s clones’ arms, and watched as her teammates went toe to toe with a force of nature. She had since taken down the few nin that had made it to her reach, which was no easy feat for a genin, but it wasn’t enough, it was never enough. Besides, neither of her teammates believed in her enough for her to believe in herself. 

She was tired and sore and her arms hurt where the sand burned her. An emotional exhaustion seeped into her bones as well, just as deadly, as she swayed on her feet. It had just been such a long day. Hell, a long month. A long year! 

As if they were sent from heaven, her friends burst through the clearing. Sakura saw Ino’s blonde hair first, and the girls jumped into each other’s arms. 

“Oh Forehead, I’m so glad you’re okay!” Ino yelled as she stroked the other girls hair. 

“Calm down, Ino-pig, I’m fine…” Sakura replied, but she was just as happy to see her friend. When the two finally separated Sakura noticed a familiar figure behind her, standing awkwardly in place. 

“Kin!” As a naturally affectionate person, Sakura went to hug her, but noticed the flinch she received and stealthily turned the hug into a soft shoulder pat. Ino looked between the two and decided to give them some space. At least now that Sakura had confirmed she knew the girl as more than a competitor. “It’s good to see you. I didn’t even recognize you…”

Kin looked down. “I know. I’m a… freak now. One of his little Experiments.” She cautiously held up her hand for inspection. The deserter had been trying to find Sakura for a while now, staking all her hopes on this girl that she barely knew… would it be enough? 

Sakura looked sad. “You’re not a freak, Kin. What he did… is awful, but it isn’t your fault.”

Kin’s expression turned darker. “It is my fault. I knew about the invasion.” She glanced hesitantly at the younger girl but her face hadn’t changed. “I tried to stop it, I swear, but there was a leak at T&I, and I fell right back into his hands… In the end I couldn’t do anything.” 

“You did what you could. You were brave. Which is a lot more than I can say about myself.” Sakura replied. She raised a kunai and threw it at an approaching Sand shinobi. “I wish I could tell you it was all over. I wish I could tell you it was all going to be okay. But I don’t have Naruto’s optimism or Sasuke’s confidence, and I can’t promise you either of those things. But I do promise to stay by your side, even if it means we go down together. You’re not alone anymore, Kin.” 

Kin smiled hesitantly, withdrawing a few senbon from her pouch and motioning for Sakura to duck. Soon, the two were fighting back to back against the onslaught of enemy shinobi. 

Maybe it had minutes, maybe hours, but Sakura finally remembered the conversation she had with Sasuke. She turned to Kin, explaining her plan between dodging the attacks of a chunin twice her size. 

Kin just looked at her, nodding in understanding before looking quizzical. “Why didn’t you do this to begin with?” 

This was the part she didn’t want to talk about. “...Sasuke… he didn’t think it was a good idea…”

“Why not?” Kin replied. 

“He just said to stay out of the way. He’s under a lot of pressure right now, and--”

“Screw that! We don’t have time for that! If you hadn’t had a plan in the Forest of Death he’d be dead right now, so I don’t see why he gets a say. Let’s do this.” 

The plan was simple. Sort of. Sakura wanted to use a large version of the water prison jutsu she’d learned to entrap Gaara and make his sand wet, meaning it would be harder to control and mold. The only problem was, to do that she needed enough water. Since luring the beast a little ways north was impossible s it was currently locked in a wrestling match with a giant frog, Sakura didn’t have many options at her disposal. 

Kin was the one who advised her to modify the jutsu. Using the water from inside trees, plants, and grass, all of which they had aplenty, they could draw out enough water to trap the beast, even though they couldn’t encircle it entirely. 

“This is a more advanced version of the water prison jutsu, but it works mostly the same way. Here, let me show you.”

Gamabunta was holding Gaara back, but he was losing ground, and the beast was already dangerously close to the village. All of the sudden, water droplets started rising from the trees, the grass, and out of thin air. The droplets form chains made of water, which wind themselves around the beast, holding it in place. Naruto turned to turn to see Sakura and the girl from the prelims making hand signs. 

The chains tightened around the beast, weakening it and seeping into the sand. The Sand begins to contract, and the beast stops moving as it’s held in place. Sasuke uses this opportunity to use chidori for the third time, activating the curse seal. He strikes the beast in the heart, blowing open a hole through its chest. Drained from chakra exhaustion, Sasuke collapses. Sakura rushes over to him, but is stopped by Kin, who holds her in place motioning to the chains. They had already started to loosen once Sakura’s concentration weakened. Gaara noticed just as the realization hit Sakura, and he used the opportunity to knock into her with a swipe of his tail. Now Kin was the only one holding the chains, and she couldn’t move to help Sakura without letting the beast loose. Determination set on her face, Kin made a decision. Dropping her stance, she ran to the downed kunoichi, and left the fate of Konoha in Naruto and Gamabunta’s hands. 

________________

Kakashi arrived to quite a scene. Konoha genin fought Sand and Sound while the bodies of chunin littered the floor. Two of his students lay passed out and wounded while the other stood on the back of a giant frog. Said frog was grappling a tailed beast. What a day. Asuma, Kurenai, and Gai were all by his side, along with several other jounin and a very tired Rock Lee. He had come to get them, and ran so fast he re-opened some of his wounds. Gai had been both furious and proud, muttering about the intricacies of youth. 

The jounin rushed in to attack, just as Naruto did something truly unexpected. He leapt from Gamabunta’s back and punched Gaara in the face; truly the number one most unpredictable ninja. The red aura of the fox surrounded him as he continued to level punch after punch on Gaara’s face. Eventually, he broke through the sand shield. And with one more hit, the sand around him began to dissipate. Both Naruto and Gaara fell to the floor.

Gaara growled as he was encircled by Konoha jounin. Shouts of “Restrain the beast!” and “Stop this monster!” rang out. Kakashi was about to make his move when Naruto put his hand up. Gaara seemed to flinch at that. Realization dawned on his face as he looked down at Gaara, astonished. Kakashi sensed something brewing and put up a hand to hold the jounin back. 

“We’re the same.” Gaara just growled. Naruto ignored him and continued. “I… I know what it’s like to be alone. I know what it’s like to have everyone think you’re a monster, an’ I know what it’s like to hate who you are. I’ve hurt people I care about too, when I didn’t mean to.” Naruto took a deep breath and the red aura around him flared. “You have something inside you, dontcha? I have something inside me too. And it’s made me do things… things I regret. And it’s made people hate me for as long as I can remember. But I’ve had friends, I’ve had people who helped me along the way. You haven’t had that, have you? You wouldn’t have turned out this way if you did. So, I’ll be your friend. Even though you’re scary and you hurt Sakura and you’re kinda mean. Cause everyone needs at least one friend.” He stretched out his hand. “Whaddya say?”

Gaara just looked confused. Naruto rolled his eyes.“If you say no imma punch you in the face again ‘til you say yes.”

“Now, now Naruto,” Kakashi said, relaxing his stance and motioning for the other jounin to do so. “That's no way to make friends.” Asuma and Gai understood first, relaxing their stance, Gai giving him a thumbs up. Kakashi just rolled his eye and put his hands in his pockets. Kurenai relaxed next, and gave the jounin next to her a nudge. There were several still in fighting stances, so Kakashi gave them a stare that promised pain in their future if they didn’t heed his order. The jounin all stepped back, appearing to lower their guard. 

Naruto wriggled his hand out. “C’mon, man. I can’t stay like this all day.” Gaara looked down, his face drawn and his eyes haunted. And then, without looking up, he reached out his hand and grasped Naruto. Naruto pulled him up, and together they stood, just looking into each other’s eyes. Gaara stared at Naruto for several minutes, eyes almost unblinking. Then he bowed his head and mumbled something unintelligible.

“You’re welcome!” Naruto said, smiling brightly. He led him across the field, over to Sasuke and Sakura. “I need to check if they’re okay.” Naruto explained. Kakashi followed, trying to look as non-threatening as possible. Once he had made sure his teammates were okay, he was sure those two would have a lot to talk about. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ok. ok ok ok. so. 
> 
> 1) sasuke is not dealing with violence well. LOUDER FOR THE PEOPLE IN THE BACK. sasuke does not like the sight of blood and dead people. most people who went through the trauma he went through wouldn't either. this doesn't make him weak, or lacking, it just means he's a human being. most thirteen year olds would freak out at getting a corpse dropped on them anyway, even if they did go to ninja school. and trust me, naruto and sakura are not exactly doing okay either. sakura has killed people, and she is not! okay! but she compartmentalizes it like she does everything else and just dumps all that burden on Inner Sakura (it'll come up later), and Naruto just plain ol' lucky enough to not have been put in a situation where he feels like there's nothing he can do but kill the person. Naruto just.. doesn't know what killing even means, he's barely processed the concept of death. so uh yeah. ninja kids will be ninja kids.  
2) how y'all feeling about Kin? i'm curious. cuz right she has a lot of enemies and not a lot of friends. Well, it's basically just Sakura. and maybe Chouji cuz he's nice and I like him.  
3) naruto still does the therapy no jutsu with gaara. why? because i think it's cute, and i actually like it when shows tackle problems by talking them out instead of just bashing heads. Naruto doesn't quite accomplish that, as their version of therapy and talking about problems is usually just yelling accompanied by tragic flashbacks and a punch in the face, but it's the though that counts right? anyway, love him.  
4) shameless plus here but if you guys wanna see my naruto blog (i post art occasionally!) it's @lesboharuno on tumblr or @olgothas on instagram :)

**Author's Note:**

> oh boy ok so i update every other week now that school has started. lookin forward to seeing you on sundays!
> 
> tumblr: ollytrees.tumblr.com or lesboharuno.tumblr.com please talk to me about naruto. c'mon, don't you wanna talk to me about naruto???


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